The Monster Within Us All
by NYC0123
Summary: Mito and Naruto Uzumaki are two children, both born in tragedy. Their birth leads into a story of suspense, and mystery. How do monsters come to be? Are they born, or are they created? Mito attempts to discover the answers to these questions. All the while trying to stop her psychopathic brother from leading the world into ruin. [Heavily based on Naoki Urasawa's Monster].
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or Monster. All characters belong to their original creators.**

 **And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a Monster rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns and upon his head the name of blasphemy (…) And they worshiped the Dragon which gave power unto the Monster: and they worshiped the Monster saying, "Who is like unto the Monster? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13, The Beast Out of the Sea).**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter One**

It was a dreary and cloudy day. Throughout the village, there was an unspoken sadness that lingered about, through every place, person, and thing. Normally, a person walking through the village would be able to see children playing with one another. However, the normally bustling metropolis was more akin to a ghost town.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was situated in his office, having been forced to retake his position after the tragic death of his successor. However, while he enjoyed his retirement, having to retake his former position was not the reason for his sorrow.

When looking upon the two children sleeping in a crib in his office, the veteran Kage sighed. 'What am I to do with them?' he thought. He wished that he could give them a normal life, however, that was highly unlikely. The seal placed upon the belly of the younger female twin was proof enough of that.

In the midst of his thoughts, he heard a knocking on his office door. "Enter," he said.

Upon seeing the visitor enter his office he was overcome with a sense of annoyance that nearly was able to overpower his previous melancholy.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Danzo?" he asked, in a voice that obviously lacked any sincerity.

Before speaking, Danzo slowly and methodically approached the desk of the Hokage and took a seat. "I have come to discuss a critical issue," he said, after having sat down. "An issue pertaining to the safety and prosperity of the village."

While Hiruzen could not refute Danzo's usefulness when it came to protecting Konoha from the shadows, it did not lessen the irritation he felt when being forced to converse with him. "What is it?" he asked with a little bit of trepidation. A small part of him already had a good idea as to why he was visiting.

"I have come to discuss the actions that should be taken in regards to the fate of these two infants," Danzo said while peering over towards the crib containing the two children. There was not a look of disdain or hatred on his face. Rather, it was more of a look of immense intrigue.

"If your wish is for them to be put into your Root program then you are wasting your time here." snapped the God of Shinobi. "Have you no respect for the wishes of my successor? He wished for them to live pleasant lives."

"Is living such a life possible in this world of ours?" Danzo asked. "This world is in an endless cycle of war and bloodshed. The moment Lord First distributed the Bijuu amongst the Five Villages he sparked an arms race that has persisted for decades after his passing."

Hiruzen had trouble refuting the statement of his old friend. However, it did not shake his stance on the subject in the slightest. He could not fail these children.

Upon seeing the two children for the first time he felt as though he was intruding upon perfection. The girl, who possessed flawless, almost porcelain like skin, would likely grow up to look very similar to her mother. When looking upon her, however, his eyes did not miss the Four Symbols Seal placed upon her abdomen.

However, shockingly, it was the boy who managed to keep his gaze the longest. His skin was slightly paler than his sisters, but in no way was it less beautiful. His blonde hair was a shade lighter than his father's, but it was rather obvious that he would grow up to look very similar to the Fourth Hokage. However, it was his eyes that fascinated him the most. They glowed like bright diamonds in the night sky and gave off a feeling of omniscience that should not belong to a child so young.

"Danzo," he sighed. "While your pessimistic view of the world may have some truth to it, I must keep the promise I made to their parents. The only way for this world to progress into an era of peace is for individuals such as ourselves to break the cycle of war. How can we expect to do such a thing when we are in the process of creating child soldiers?"

Danzo's expression did not change in the slightest, but his mind was working a mile a minute. While he has never been able to rival Sarutobi in terms of power, he was more than able to match or even surpass him intellectually. While he wouldn't consider himself vastly superior to Sarutobi in terms of intelligence, he is willing to do things that his rival isn't and that gives him an edge.

"Very well, Hiruzen," he said. "Eventually, you will see things my way." Danzo was a patient man, and it wouldn't be in his best interest to rile Hiruzen up. He would need to play his cards correctly while also making sure to keep them close to his chest. He would have what he wanted.

 **~Break~**

(Six Years Later)

Mito found herself running through the village, her face a picture of glee. She always enjoyed peaceful and sunny days such as these. The matron of the orphanage would always allow the children to play in the village every Friday.

It was an especially beautiful day today. The streets were packed with people completing their daily tasks. As she was running several citizens gave her polite smiles and nodded to her. Her kind and excitable nature was infectious and allowed her to make friends easily.

Finally, she arrived at her destination. A playground teeming with children, all enjoying themselves and playing to their heart's content. She recognized many of the children there, including her two friends Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno playing in the sandbox.

While approaching the sandbox she halted in her tracks. She couldn't believe it, how could she have forgotten?

"Big brother!" she yelled in a panic. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten to make sure they didn't lose each other in the crowd. Her brother was her rock, he was always there to look out for her and frequently put her needs before that of his own. She was so reliant on his presence that it was almost always unpleasant for her to be separated from him.

She jolted upon hearing a familiar voice behind her, "I am here, Mito, there is no need to worry."

She turned around and saw the subject of her thoughts. Naruto was the same as ever, a perfect picture of calmness. She often wondered how he was so mature, it was almost as if he was smarter than most of the adults in the village. She was no slouch in the intellect department herself, but her brother always seemed to be a level above her in almost everything.

"Big bro, what do you want to play today?" she asked with excitement. However, she knew it was a silly question to ask. As she knew exactly what his response would be.

"I'd enjoy doing whatever you want to do." he answered with a polite smile.

She sighed in frustration. Her brother was often times selfless to a fault. She often felt guilty when they played together. Just for once, she'd like to do whatever he wanted to do. It was like he existed just to make her life easier and it made her feel useless in comparison. She could not recall an instance in which she was able to help her brother the way that he constantly helped her.

"You're always like this" she groaned. "Why is it that you never want to decide what we play?"

"I'm happy when you're happy," he said. "You always choose the best games anyway." Contrary to what his sister believed, Naruto was arguably more reliant on her than she was on him. He was not as skilled when it came to socializing with others, which is why his sister was his only friend.

"Fine!" she snapped. "I'll go play with Sakura and Ino then, would that make you happy?" She knew that she was being immature, but that was to be expected from someone so young.

"Of course," he responded politely, much to her indignation. In truth, she was hoping that her ultimatum would have resulted in him being forced to finally decide on what they did. However, she was too stubborn to turn back now, so she ran off to play with her two friends.

Naruto smiled while watching his sister run towards her friends. Once she left his sight, however, his smile vanished and left what could only be described as an emotionless expression. He wasn't sure why, but he had trouble expressing and understanding his emotions. Not that he couldn't feel them, it was just that he struggled understanding and expressing them correctly.

He had no idea why he was like this. Was he born this way, or had some horribly unspeakable event effected his psyche? He wouldn't be surprised if the latter was the case. He knew that much of the growing up period for a child was a blur. However, he felt like he was remembering less and less with every day that went by. It had gotten to the point where he couldn't even remember what he enjoyed to do. Had he perhaps once enjoyed playing outside with other children? He honestly felt like he'd never know.

 **~Break~**

Danzo had been observing the two children for quite some time. While most would consider it odd for a man of his age to constantly watch over two six-year-olds, he cared little for their opinions. What he was doing was in his mind, for the betterment of the village.

The young boy, Naruto, as he was called, fascinated him more than he thought any person would be able to. The look in the boy's eyes was something special, something that even his most elite Root Anbu were unable to obtain, even through the most ruthless of training. Furthermore, he possessed an impressive level head, even at such a young age. He hadn't seen such an intelligent child since Itachi Uchiha, a young boy who has risen to become one of Konoha's most valuable assets.

He decided that today would be the day that he would approach the boy. His sister had just gone on to her own devices and he doubted he'd find a better opportunity. He slowly made his way towards the blonde who was silently observing the activities of the playground.

He brought himself to the boy's side and they stood in silence for what felt like minutes.

"Can I help you, sir?" Naruto eventually asked in his ever pleasant tone. Danzo noticed that the look that he admired so much had all but disappeared from the child's face. This only fascinated him even more. The child was seemingly able to change his expression at the drop of a hat, a valuable skill indeed.

"Do you care for her?" he asked the boy. The young child looked into Danzo's lone eye with an intensity that could hardly be described with words. He eventually turned his gaze towards his sister and nodded.

"You're aware that she is different?" Danzo continued. "In the future people will covet her. Much like the attempted kidnapping of the Hyuga heir earlier this year, they will come for her. What will you do if that happens?"

Naruto didn't respond to his question, but Danzo already knew what his answer would be. The boy would likely stop at nothing to keep her safe. If Danzo was able to extend that protectiveness and loyalty towards the village as well, the child would become an immeasurably valuable asset.

"I can give you the ability to protect her," he said. "However, the Hokage does not wish for you to become as powerful as you need to be."

The Hokage had always been an active presence in the twin's lives. Some may call it favoritism, but he was the Hokage so they held their tongues. Typically, someone of Naruto's obvious talent would have been entered into the academy by now, but Hiruzen wouldn't allow it. This frustrated Danzo to no end, but he had a plan that would soon take effect.

"We shall meet again soon," Danzo said before turning and leaving the area.

Naruto continued watching his sister without any notable change in his demeanor, minus the intense blue glowing of his eyes.

 **~Break~**

Mito was in the process of helping Ino build a sandcastle. However, every few seconds she would look over her shoulder to see what her brother was doing. He was just standing there, being his perfectly socially awkward self.

She was rather perceptive for her age. If not for the obvious genius of her brother overshadowing her, she'd probably be regarded as one of those child prodigies. It was through this perceptiveness that she had been able to notice several things about her brother.

First, while she loved him to death, he was very strange at times. When they were even younger, the matron would tell him to go and play, and he would simply ask why. It was almost as if he didn't know how to enjoy himself.

Secondly, he treated her as if she was God's gift to this earth. If he was ever given a snack he wouldn't eat it until he had at least offered it to her first. It had gotten to the point that if she didn't refuse he'd likely starve. Not to say his caring treatment wasn't pleasant most of the time. No matter what happened throughout her day, she knew her brother would support her no matter what.

And finally, there was his bizarre trust issues. He didn't seem to trust anyone other than her, not even Old man Hokage! She was unsure why he was that way, but frankly, there were a lot of things she didn't know. Much of her early life had been a blur to her. Her psyche was an amalgamation of many strange memories, most of which she wasn't even able to recall.

"Mito! You aren't even paying attention. And look, you're messing up Castle Yamanaka," a voice next to her groaned.

She looked down towards the sand castle she had been making, and was surprised to see that her knee was pressing into the walls. Had she really lost focus during play time? That was so unlike her.

"Sorry, Ino," she said. "I just have a lot on my mind, I guess."

"Does it have anything to do with your cute brother?" Ino asked, using a voice that she reserved for irritating people. "You know, I wish you'd tell him about me."

"Shut it, Ino!" Mito snapped. "My big bro is off limits. Besides, he probably wouldn't even be able to tell that you had a crush on him." She felt like she had this conversation with Ino every time they'd meet.

"I-Ino, why don't you give Mito a break?" asked the pink haired girl sitting on the other side of the castle of sand.

"But Sakura I-" Ino began to say, but she was interrupted. She turned her head and saw the subject of their conversation standing just outside the confines of the sandbox.

"What is it that you are up to, Mito? Naruto asked, seemingly ignoring the other two girls entirely.

"Big bro!" Mito exclaimed. "I was helping Ino and Sakura build a sandcastle, but Ino was being annoying again!"

"Is that so?" Naruto asked. That wouldn't do. He glanced over at the other two young girls. Both were looking a little skittish, and were attempting to avoid his gaze.

That was also something he'd noticed. People seemed to be very uncomfortable making eye contact with him. He didn't consider himself an intimidating person, so why was it that even some adults wavered under his gaze?

However, that was a thought for another time. He bent down towards his sister and extended his hand, telling her that the matron was calling them home. The little redhead crossed her arms and pouted, clearly not wanting to leave. However, eventually she relented and they began walking back to the orphanage together.

Standing next to his sister gave him an overwhelming sense of clarity. So long as they were together, everything would be fine.

 **~Break~**

In his private residence, Danzo was currently conversing with a seemingly normal middle aged couple. The male was of average height and build with curly brown hair and brown eyes. The woman was equally average with orange hair and green eyes.

"You have been chosen for an important mission," he said. "I have been told that the two of you hold a stellar reputation within the community. Is this true?"

"Yes, Danzo-sama," they simultaneously responded.

"I have been in conversation with several influential members of the Daimyo's court. They have convinced the him to pressure the Hokage to allow Mito and Naruto Uzumaki to be adopted into a family. In doing so, you will gain custody of the children and be able to make decisions on their behalf."

The couple didn't respond. However, they nodded their heads in understanding. The Leader of Root's plan was beginning to make sense to them. "You wish for us to gain custody of the children so we can allow them to be tutored in the Ninja Arts?" the man asked.

Danzo nodded, it wasn't a complicated plan, so he was not surprised that the man was able to figure it out. Danzo knew that Hiruzen would know that he was responsible for getting the Daimyo involved. However, there wasn't much the Hokage could do when a request was made to him by the Daimyo of Fire Country himself.

"Regardless, Hiruzen will never allow the boy to be entered into Root," Danzo said. "However, allowing them to be tutored is within the realm of possibility. You are dismissed, I expect you to have gained custody within the week."

The couple stood and bowed before being escorted from the home by two Root Anbu. Now that he was left to himself, he was able to think back on the means in which he made this possible.

He had done several favors for the members of the Daimyo's court. However, what really brought the nobles on board was when they were allowed to see the two children. Being very rich and superficial they were enamored with the beauty of the twins. Finally, when informed of the vast potential the two children possessed, they were sold. The possibility of perhaps having a future Hokage in their pocket was very appealing.

Danzo was disgusted by those of noble birth. Born into power and yet often times never doing anything of value with it. However, despite his disgust, he knew that he needed the support of such people in order to make progress.

That boy, Naruto Uzumaki, he knew better than to think the child would be a simple pawn. The boy was destined to be a leader of men, someone who would be able to do things that he and normal people could only dream of. The time for patience was ending and the moment for action had arrived.

 **~Break~**

Naruto was walking adjacent to the Naka River. It was one of those rare moments in which he and his sister were not close to one another. She was currently asleep at the orphanage, so this was his only opportunity for private thoughts.

He often pondered things that children his age shouldn't even be capable of comprehending. Why was he so different from everyone else? He knew that he was a special child. The only person that he believed to be more special than himself was Mito.

He could sense the dormant power within her. But that wasn't what intrigued him. No, the source of his intrigue was the fact that she was the only person he felt a connection towards. It was difficult to explain, but she was the only person on this earth who's life held any value to him.

"Hello," a voice said, interrupting his thoughts.

He turned and saw a young man with onyx eyes under which were long, pronounced tear-troughs. He had jet-black hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail and his face was framed with centre-parted bangs that extended to his chin. It was obvious that he was an Uchiha.

Itachi was unsure why he had approached the child. Perhaps it was because he was able to notice the obvious similarities between the two of them. Or perhaps it was because he noticed the subtle differences.

"You are in Uchiha territory," he said. "It is uncommon for outsiders such as yourself to visit this place."

"Outsider?" Naruto asked, in a voice laced with curiosity. "Are we not all fellow citizens of Konoha?"

"Of course," Itachi responded. "I was not disputing your right to be here. I was merely acknowledging the rarity of such a visit." Itachi was getting a strange feeling from this child. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like he would need to choose his words wisely.

Upon further inspection of the river, Naruto was able to see an insect floating down on a small twig. He couldn't help but see himself in the helpless creature. Much like that bug he was adrift on a path, a path in which he had almost no control. Someone or something could easily help the insect and take it off the path that would surely lead to it's demise. However, a bird swooping from the sky and scooping it into it's beak, clearly with the goal of consumption, seemed more likely.

While watching the blonde child who was clearly lost in thought, Itachi recalled his younger days. Days in which he pondered the meaning of life, death, and what a shinobi was. Much like him, this child would eventually come to his own conclusions.

"I am aware of who you are. I am also aware of who your sister is" Itachi stated.

Itachi noticed that at the mentioning of his sister Naruto seemed much more focused on looking intensely into his eyes. Itachi felt the subconscious need to activate his Sharingan. He was unsure why, but he felt as though Naruto's gaze was dangerous and should be avoided if possible.

"I was hoping that my little brother would become friends with someone like your sister," Itachi said, attempting to ease the conversation into a more pleasant one. "He often focuses too much training and too little on enjoying himself."

"That is the burden of prodigies, is it not?" Naruto asked, finally looking away from Itachi's eyes.

"Yes," Itachi responded, a little surprised at how much he has spoken with this child. "I am sure that is something you can understand as well."

Naruto chuckled a little but didn't respond. Itachi was unaware if the laugh was real or fake, but it did not matter. His thoughts were returning to his original reason for coming here. Much like this child, he too had much on his mind.

The current tensions between the Uchiha Clan and the Village were reaching dangerous levels. He had recently joined the ANBU and his father had ordered him to be an information pipeline between the Uchiha and the Village. All in all, it made for a very stressful life.

Out of nowhere, he felt a presence approaching from the trees behind him. Naruto showed no signs of noticing but he had little doubt that the young boy was aware that they were being approached.

"Hey, Itachi!" a jubilant voice greeted. Upon hearing it, it was obvious that the voice belonged to his friend, Shisui. His relationship with Shisui was an odd one, to say the least. On one hand, Shisui was his only true friend. On the other, he was a sort of older brother figure that he had never had before. And finally, he was one of the people Itachi admired the most. Shisui was perhaps the only person in the clan who rivaled Itachi in sheer talent. However, he had little doubt that at the moment, Shisui was leagues above him in power.

"Who's this little guy?" Shisui asked while crouching down to get at eye level with the smaller blonde child. Naruto glanced at him in his peripheral vision and then continued looking out towards the lake.

"He is Naruto Uzumaki," Itachi answered. Naruto's sister, Mito, was very well known throughout the village. He was certain that had it been her here Shisui would have recognized her instantly. However, Naruto was a very odd child now that he thought about it. He could either be a person you'd never forget or a person you'd never remember. He wondered if Naruto chose which of these two effects he had on people, or if he did so subconsciously.

"Aww, look at the little guy," Shisui said. "It's like he's a little Itachi 2.0, is he as much of a nerd as you, Itachi?"

Itachi was unamused by Shisui's comments but did not take them too seriously. He knew Shisui was simply attempting to get under his skin.

"Are you Shisui the Teleporter?" Naruto asked, surprising the two Uchiha with his sudden question.

"Why yes I am," Shisui said, before turning to Itachi. "As you can see, Itachi, this is what it is like when you are a famous shinobi. It's better for you to learn how to deal with your fans now rather than later." Itachi was unaware as to whether or not Shisui was joking or being serious, but with him, you could never tell.

"Would you like an autograph, little guy?" Shisui asked with a charismatic smile on his face while turning towards the boy. His expression only turned to surprise when he noticed the young child walking in the other direction, likely heading home.

"Quite the loyal fan base you have there," quipped Itachi. For once, actually being the one to poke fun.

"Shut up," Shisui mumbled under his breath. It was obvious that he would be pouting for the next few minutes.

 **~Break~**

Sasuke was within the Uchiha training grounds, even at such a late hour. To him, training was more important than anything. He wanted to surpass his brother more than anything in the world. While most would assume this goal stemmed from a desire to steal his brother's spotlight, it was actually much more innocent in its origin. He simply wanted to be able to stand next to his brother, rather than behind him.

He threw another handful of shuriken at the wooden training post. They all hit their mark, but the accuracy was slightly less than perfect. Sasuke furrowed his brows in frustration upon seeing this.

All he ever heard about was how much of a prodigy his brother was. He was certain when Itachi was his age his shurikenjutsu was much better than his was at the moment. The thought made him clench his teeth. Not to mention he had yet to even learn the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, which was considered a rite of passage within the clan.

Suddenly, he felt an unwelcome presence behind him and turned around instantly. Standing not too far behind him was a young blonde boy, who was likely the same age as him.

"You're quite good," the boy said with a polite smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded. He would never consider himself to be an impolite person, but this boy had appeared unwelcome, and on private property no less!

"Why are you training so hard?" the boy asked, avoiding his question altogether. Though, there seemed to be genuine curiosity behind his inquiry.

"I'm training because I have a goal that I need to reach," Sasuke responded. He didn't feel comfortable explaining the details of his dream to someone that he had never met before in his life.

"What will you do if you find that your goal is unattainable?" Naruto asked. "What if you have been wasting your time with this training?"

"Who are you to ask that?" Sasuke asked, a little irritated. "You've never met me before and yet you feel as though you have the right to weigh in on the odds of my success?"

"I am not saying that you will fail," Naruto said in a placating tone. "However, is it not better to be prepared for the worst? If you are always prepared for the worst you'll never be disappointed and you can only every be pleasantly surprised."

Sasuke furrowed his brow upon hearing the blonde's statement. Who was this kid? Was he not aware of how strange his intrusion was?

Before he could respond the strange boy started speaking again. "I can feel it flowing off of you," he said. "The immense desire to succeed, and the equally immense fear of failure. Why exist to meet the standards of others? Why not exist simply for yourself?"

Sasuke made sure to respond before the blonde spoke again. "Because I have faith" he said. "I have faith that I will succeed and I have faith in my loved ones" Upon saying this he immediately thought of Itachi. He knew that no matter what, his big brother would always love him.

"Hmm, I see," Naruto said, with a serene smile. "Well, I hope that those people never disappoint you, because then what would you have, other than yourself and a bunch of empty dreams?" And before Sasuke could respond he turned around and left the training ground.

Sasuke was afraid. Not afraid of the boy, but afraid when weighing the validity of his words in his mind. 'Could he be right?' Sasuke nervously thought. However, once again his thoughts drifted towards his big brother and he was at ease.

 **~Break~**

The next morning Naruto was woken up from his slumber by an excited Mito. "Big bro, big bro!" she shouted as she shook his arm.

"Yes?" he asked, slightly interested in what had made her so excited.

"A nice man and lady are here! They say that they want us to live with them!" she exclaimed. This was the most excited he had ever seen his sister before.

On the outside, he smiled softly at her happiness. However, his inner thoughts were a different story. Who were these people? And for what reason did they wish to adopt him and his sister? However, what bothered him most was that they were attempting to intrude upon their lives. To him, he'd prefer for he and Mito to live alone together for the remainder of their existence.

He was dragged by his sister into the lobby and saw the 'nice' couple standing there, speaking with the matron. She saw us and brought them over in order to make an introduction, but Naruto wasn't listening. These people felt very similar to that old man he'd met in the park. Were they his associates? And why did they wish to interfere with he and his sister's lives?

The rest of the day was a blur that ended with Naruto and Mito being escorted by their new 'family' to their home.

 **~Break~**

(Four Years Later)

Naruto sat upon the head of the Fourth Hokage's stone face. Over the past four years, he has grown exponentially as a shinobi. Due to his natural talent and his private tutoring he has risen to the highest rank in his academy class. In stark contrast to himself, his sister was ranked closer to the bottom. However, this was due to the fact that she had trouble controlling her chakra properly. Regardless, the potential for her to become powerful was always there.

His two legal guardians had been model parents. However, he was able to see through their facade. Underneath their caring exterior, there was an obvious ulterior motive. The Hokage had seemed quite irritated when he and Mito were handed over to their new guardians. Whether this was because he truly cared for them or because he too had his own motives, he did not know. However, his instincts led him to believe that it was the latter of the two possibilities.

In the midst of his thoughts, he heard very light footsteps and the tapping of a cane approaching him.

"Ah, Danzo-san, what can I do for you?" he asked in a pleasant voice. Over the years he had occasionally been approached by the elderly man for what he considered to be very tedious conversation. The man foolishly thought that he could use his sister as leverage against him. If he were a normal person he would resent the man's feeble attempts, but he simply found them to be amusing.

"I see that you have once again skipped out of attending the academy," Danzo said, not once letting his stoic expression leave his face.

"Ah, it seems as though I've been caught," Naruto quipped with a charming smile. "Whatever will I do?"

"While your sarcasm is amusing, I have come to inform you of some tragic news," Danzo responded, in a voice that showed he hardly cared about the 'tragedy'. The boy was incredibly difficult to deal with at times. It was impossible to get a read on him, even with his many years of experience. Had he been a lesser man he would have been uncomfortable with approaching the child.

"It seems as though your guardians have been killed," he said. "They lost their lives during a mission at the border of Earth Country."

The boy's expression didn't change in the slightest. It was in stark contrast to how his sister had reacted to the news. She had almost immediately broken out into tears, having lost the first people who loved her like a daughter.

Danzo continued when the boy didn't respond, "You and your sister will have to return to the orphanage. However, I regret to inform you that you will be going to separate facilities."

He could see the boy looking at him from the corner of his eyes with his icy, yet, serene stare. He often wondered how the boy's eyes could glow so unnaturally, it gave him an almost supernatural vibe.

"You shall be put into the facility known as Orphanage 8, a place known for producing exceptional young men. You will also cease your attendance of the Academy and when you come of age you will be made a genin of this village," Danzo said, waiting to see what the boy's response would be. He was not used to being the one constantly on edge during a conversation. To think that a boy of ten would be able to control a conversation without uttering a single word.

"And what of Mito?" the boy asked, finally participating in the conversation.

"She will return to Konoha Orphanage and will continue to attend the academy," replied Danzo. He knew that separating the two could have negative consequences, however, this was necessary, as he felt the girl was holding the boy back.

Suddenly, two Root Anbu appeared at Naruto's sides and one placed their hand on his shoulder. "You will be escorted the facility immediately. Your possessions have already been collected and your teachers have been notified of the reason for you future absence," Danzo said in a stern voice.

 **~Break~**

Naruto was immediately brought to the front of the facility in a shunshin. Frankly, it did not look nearly as nice as Danzo had implied, but he never made a habit of trusting the words of others, so it didn't surprise him.

Two men dressed in white lab coats and black shinobi pants and sandals were waiting for them in front of the building. One was in his forties with slicked back black hair and equally black eyes. The other, who was obviously the one in charge, appeared to be a gentle looking old man with a bald head and a white beard.

"Hello, young man," greeted the elderly gentleman. "I am head supervisor Zaki Takejiro, it is a pleasure to meet you, I'm sure we will be getting to know each other very well over the next few years."

Naruto ignored the introduction in favor of observing the imposing building before him. It looked like more like a psychiatric hospital than an orphanage. It was surrounded by woods and didn't have a place for children to play. It was clear to him that this was not a normal orphanage and he was amused upon realizing that this was another one of Danzo's ploys.

As he was brought into the building he noticed that it looked like something akin to a juvenile facility. The place was lacking in hospitality and as he walked throughout the halls he noticed that the glares of the other children followed him. 'Hmm,' he thought with amusement. 'It seems as though friends will be few and far between here.'

Over the past four years, he had come to realize that people were never truly what they seemed to be. He was special, as he was able to see a person's true nature. More often than not, he noticed a darkness within every person. The only exception to this was his sister, but she was different from everyone else in his eyes, so it was unsurprising.

His thoughts were interrupted when he was brought into a dark room with a single chair in the center. The chair had many straps attached to it, clearly for the purpose restraining the occupant. Next to the chair was an IV stand that was no doubt intended for him.

"While I know that this may not be the most pleasant introduction to my facility, I hope that you can understand the necessity of it," Supervisor Takejiro said in a polite voice. "This concoction will allow us to get some much needed honest answers from you. I've heard that can be quite the evasive conversationist."

Naruto was immediately placed in the chair and strapped in tightly. He looked over at the IV being stuck into his right arm with a calm curiosity. However, his attention was brought in front of him when Takejiro placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Now, let's see what secrets you hold," he said in a somewhat sinister tone. Immediately, Naruto began to feel strange as the truth serum began to take effect.

 **~Break~**

Mito was sitting in class with an empty seat next to her that she had reserved for her brother. Today had easily been the worst day of her young life. Before class, she had been informed that her parents had been killed in action during a mission. Along with her brother, they were the first family she had ever had. Overall, it was agonizing to see them go.

However, what made it worse was that she had yet to see her brother all day. She had been given the opportunity to sit out of class today but she wanted to stay and wait for him. This whole situation was rather awkward, as none of her friends knew what to say to her. She was simply sitting in solitude praying that the events of this day were just some sick joke.

The only person who didn't seem to be treating her any differently was the last Uchiha. This was likely due to the fact that he had experienced her pain on a much larger scale when his entire clan was killed in a single evening. Now she could finally understand why he was such a downer.

As the class ended she watched as every student filed out of the room, with some occasionally muttering condolences to her as they did so. However, she soon meets the eyes of the lone Uchiha survivor. She nodded in his direction and he paused in his step and nodded back before leaving with the rest of the students. There was a new unspoken understanding between the two of them.

When she got up to leave she saw the Hokage waiting at the door for her. She immediately sprinted towards him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug and began bawling her eyes out. He wrapped his arms around her gently, with a somber expression on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Mito," he said. She was too distraught to respond but she tightened her hold on him immediately.

"Where is my brother?" she asked. "Where is Naruto!?"

Sarutobi closed his eyes and sighed in obvious frustration. "He has been placed in an orphanage near the outskirts of the village," he said. "I'm sorry, but due to reasons outside of my control you two will be separated for a short time."

For Mito, her entire world crashed before her eyes. Her brother, her rock, would be separated from her for the time being? That was impossible! She had never been separated from him before and this only served to make her more upset.

"Come, young one," Hiruzen said. "Let's get you home."

 **~Break~**

As Sasuke was watching his classmates getting picked up by their parents he couldn't help but think back on the words the blonde haired boy had said all those years ago. He now knew the boy to be named Naruto Uzumaki, the brother of Mito. He was shocked to see him during their first ever academy class but the boy never seemed to acknowledge that they had conversed in the past, so Sasuke kept to himself.

Discovering that the boy was more talented than him in the ninja arts was a little disheartening. But, Sasuke was not a jealous person, and he chose to focus more on his own development, rather than that of his classmate's.

However, when thinking back on what Naruto had said all those years ago, he couldn't help but acknowledge how right he really was. A year after their conversation his brother had laid waste to their clan and sparked a hatred in him that still existed to this day.

Naruto was right, expecting the best from life and the people you met in it only ended in disappointment. His faith in Itachi was clearly misplaced, and look where it got him.

However, this was not to say that he liked the blonde Uzumaki. Quite the contrary, he despised his presence. He didn't actually hate the guy, but being near him only served to remind him about his tragic past, and how in the end, his opportunity to achieve his goal had been stolen from him.

What an unpleasant world he lived in.

 **~Break~**

(Two weeks later)

Naruto was unaware of how long he had been in the facility up to this point. He was not informed of how many days had gone by and the many experiments were making everything a blur. Currently, he was in a long dimly lit room standing across from another young boy close to him in age.

The supervisors had told him that in order for the children of the facility to earn their meals they had to perform at a satisfactory level in their individual daily tasks. With the current task he was involved in being a battle to the death. They were each given a weapon of their choosing, the boy chose a katana and Naruto chose a chokuto.

The boy rushed towards him first, clearly being the more hotheaded of the two. His movements were slow and sluggish to Naruto's eyes, but for someone so young he supposed it was somewhat impressive. He immediately made a diagonal slash towards Naruto's neck. However, it missed as his target leaned back at the last moment.

Naruto proceeded to attempt a diagonal slash from the boys naval to his collar bone. However, the boy too dodged at the last second. They charged each other once more and their blades collided with a vicious clang of steel.

Naruto took this opportunity to look into the eyes of his opponent. He saw that underneath his aggressive exterior there was a terrified child simply looking to survive. He quickly jumped back while throwing his blade into the air. He followed up the maneuver with a series of hand signs, shocking the boy and the supervisors.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere," he said before releasing a series of air bullets towards his opponent.

The boy, having little experience in ninjutsu combat, was taken off guard and killed instantly as one of the bullets went directly through his skull and brain. His body was hardly recognizable as it was leaking blood from where he had been hit by the other air bullets, not one missed the intended target.

After the fights conclusion, a slow and methodical clapping could be heard from the observation balcony. "Excellent, excellent," Takejiro said, clearly very impressed. "I am surprised that you already posses such skill in ninjutsu. And your level of ruthlessness, excellent indeed." His voice lacked the usual faux politeness and was was dripping with obvious satisfaction. He now knew why Danzo was so interested in this boy.

During his interview with the child he was shocked to learn that even while under the influence of truth serum the boy was still an enigma. Answering every question in a way that was very difficult to understand. It was as if they were attempting to converse with an extraterrestrial being not used to human conversation. However, one thing was clear, the child was a piece of art. Such art couldn't even be made in his facility, only the hands of God could create such perfection.

"You have done well during your stay here," he said to the boy as he addressed him once more. "However, I hear that you are resisting your treatment. Is this true, young man?"

The treatment was one of the most crucial steps in the program. Through the influence of drugs and experimentation the children would lose all their memories, and by extension their sense of self. However, he was resistant, not wishing to forget his sister. Danzo was correct, the girl was clearly holding him back from reaching his potential.

The boy didn't respond to his inquiry, which caused the Head Supervisor to sigh in frustration. Danzo was also correct when he told him that the boy was not one for normal conversation.

Through several tests he was able to discover that the boy's chakra was unlike anything he had ever seen. He seemingly had affinities for all five nature transformations, which was unheard of for someone without the legendary Rinnegan. Which was why he checked the boy's eyes and made an astounding discovery. While the child did not posses the Rinnegan, or any of the other Legendary Dojutusu for that matter, he did have his own unique set of eyes.

He was able to discover that these eyes are what granted the child an affinity for all five chakra natures. Furthermore, the eyes seemed to be very resilient to ocular genjutsu. However, unlike the Sharingan, they were unable to cast them.

Finally, the most astounding thing about his eyes were the effect they had on his chakra. He could seemingly combine any and all of his chakra natures together with one another. The potential was limitless. He could perhaps one day use the Wood Release of the First Hokage, the Lava Release of the Yonbi, or maybe even the Dust Release of the Tsuchikage. And those were just the Nature Based Kekkai Genkai that he could think of off the top of his head!

He looked down towards the arena and saw that the boy was being escorted back towards his room. Yes, it seemed as though he had been gifted a truly rare gem indeed.

 **~Break~**

(One year later)

Recently, a story had been circulating amongst the children in the facility. _A story about a child who was always kept sedated using drugs and sleeping pills. The supervisors locked him underground because his words were evil and capable of destruction. The boy felt no fear, no hatred, no happiness, nothing. Eventually, he became immune to the sleeping pills, manipulated his jailers, and snuck back amongst the children. He hated of the facility and began to plot the demise of all those living inside. He would steal their memories, to the point that they would not even recall their own names. He would manipulate them and lead them to their own violent downfall. The children would be unaware that they were being controlled and it would lead to their destruction._

Nobody knew if the story was true or not, but it created a lot of tension between everyone in the facility. What had been forgotten in the confusion and fear was that Naruto was the one who spun the tale to a small group of children and it quickly spread throughout the facility. He did this in order to create enough disarray for him to be able to leave. The facility had become boring for him and he would be interested in seeing what his sister was up to.

There was already an intense level of hatred and tension amongst the children and staff members, even before he had arrived. He wasn't a god, he couldn't create something out of nothing. All he did was concentrate their hatred in a way that benefited him. However, his motivation wasn't strictly to see his sister again. That mattered to him, but there was much more to it.

He wanted to see what lengths people's hatred could take them. He knew that hatred only came into existence when human beings began interacting with one another, but he was still young. He didn't have much experience observing the outcome that such hatred had on a population. It was ironic that he would be performing his experiment on those who wished to experiment on him.

Speaking of which, in spite of their experiments he had still not forgotten his sister, but many of his memories were lost. He felt like a husk of a person, like he didn't even exist. He didn't enjoy anything. He has no connection to anything, and he could not feel love or have empathy. He had no pleasant memories, no sense of identity, no parental love, and no joy in general with anything or anyone.

Had he always been like this? Or was it something new? His lack of many memories made it impossible to answer either of those questions. But still, he often pondered that during his free time. However, he was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard several explosions ring throughout the facility. They were so powerful that his door was blown off of its hinges.

He calmly walked out to an interesting sight. People were killing one another in droves. To them it didn't matter who is was that they were killing, all they cared about was their own survival. The supervisors were being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of children. Naruto wondered if they were perhaps regretting teaching these children to be such efficient and ruthless killers? That would be humorous and rather fitting.

As he walked through the halls he avoided the occasional corpse and continued on his way. He made his way up the stairs in the main hall and then sat in a chair that was waiting for him right at the top of the steps.

He basked in his accomplishment. Many people were dying, simply because of a few words. 'This is what people truly are,' he thought to himself. 'All I needed to do was fan the already existing flames until they became a roaring bonfire.'

Ironically, the building was beginning to go up in flames, likely due to the explosions. He closed his eyes and felt the heat from the fire tickling his skin. He felt no fear. He wouldn't die here. What was capable of killing a nonexistent being?

 **~End~**


	2. Chapter Two

**The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Two**

The past year had been a bizarre one for Mito. Being separated from her brother for so long was an incredibly unpleasant experience. In her worst dreams, she often wondered if Naruto had died and that Old Man Hokage was merely lying about him having to live somewhere else, to avoid her experiencing another heartbreak. However, she would always berate herself for thinking so negatively.

If not for the issue of her missing brother, she would say that this past year had been perfect for her. Not too soon after the death of her previous foster parents, she was adopted into a new family. Her new parents were a little older than her previous ones, but they were no less kind.

It took her a while to warm up to them, in fear of the pain she'd feel if she were to lose them. However, with her being the way she was she couldn't help but begin to love them faster than any reasonable person would.

Her new father was Shiro Akihiro; he was a fairly tall and portly individual with gray hair, brown eyes, and rosy cheeks. He wore thick rimmed glasses and could always be found reading the newspaper with them every morning. To top it off, he wore a green long-sleeved shirt and a light green collared shirt underneath it and gray pants with black sandals.

Her new mother was named Eto Akihiro, she was somewhat short and had a skinny build, giving her the appearance of being a weak person. She has neck-length, light-brown hair with part of it held in a small bun towards the back. Furthermore, she had black eyes and wore a white apron dress with a long-sleeved maroon shirt underneath it. However, her appearance was not what warranted the attention of others. No, it was her renowned kindness that made her a staple within the community of Konoha.

What put Mito at ease was that unlike her former parents, the Akihiro's were not shinobi. She didn't have to worry about them going out on a mission and never returning. It did well to put her mind at ease. Not to mention, they were handpicked by Old Man Hokage, and she trusted his word above that of all others. Well, other than her big brother, that is.

Upon thinking of her brother once more, she entered another short bout of depression. She hated the fact that she could never see him and what made it worse was that nobody would tell her anything regarding the situation.

She was pulled from her thoughts when her name was called. She looked up and saw Iruka-sensei looking at her expectantly. Being able to infer the reason for having her name called she stepped forward until she was standing in the sparring ring located in the academy training ground.

She was now focused on what was going on and was waiting for Iruka-sensei to announce her opponent. She had improved a lot in her taijutsu over the year, so she was confident in her ability to pull out a victory against just about anyone.

However, everyone soon dropped what they were doing in favor of looking at the large column of smoke that could be seen rising in the distance.

 **~Break~**

Danzo had an uneasy feeling. He had yet to hear from Takejiro regarding Naruto's progress, which was odd considering just how careful the man was. He was sitting in the office of his private residence and had told his Root ANBU guards that he did not wish to be disturbed.

However, his unease was capped off when the giant pillar of smoke became visible from the direction of Orphanage 8. What could have happened? Has a foreign village attacked? Or perhaps Hiruzen had discovered the true nature of the facility, evacuated the occupations, and burned it down to send a message to him.

His relationship with Sarutobi had become even tenser than ever. The increased tension was due to the Uchiha Massacre and Danzo's involvement in the atrocity. As punishment, Hiruzen revoked Danzo's position as second-in-command, and his Root was ordered to be disbanded. Furthermore, he was sentenced to be confined to his private home for an indefinite period. While he still led Root, which was still as active as ever, it made things much more difficult for him.

He had been foolish in thinking that Hiruzen would allow him to continue doing as he pleased. Perhaps he had become arrogant due to his more recent successes? Regardless, Hiruzen demonstrated his cunning when he all but destroyed any and all influence Danzo held within the Daimyo's Court. It seemed that losing his position as second-in-command had made him lose his credibility.

However, the most shocking development was Hiruzen putting his foot down before the Daimyo. Even Danzo had to admit that it was as impressive sight to behold. Perhaps he had pushed Hiruzen too hard, and it resulted in him reverting to his older self? Regardless, the Daimyo would no longer be sticking his nose in the business of the God of Shinobi and his village.

It was moments like these that made Danzo respect Hiruzen more than anyone else. He had always held the Daimyo's influence upon the village in disdain. While it didn't stop him from taking advantage of that influence for his gain, it didn't mean that he liked it.

Yes, it seemed Hiruzen had regained his spine. If not for Shisui's eye, Danzo was confident that he would have been locked in prison by now. So while it was the Uchiha Massacre that took away a lot of his power, it was the fruits of the endeavor that saved him from a life of miserable imprisonment.

He continued to gaze upon the pillar of smoke rising higher and higher into the sky. If not for the fact that is was so clearly coming from the village outskirts, he was sure people would be panicking.

However, in the midst of his thoughts the lights in his office went out all at once, and it was plunged into darkness. Whoever was responsible had come at a terrible time. He had recently used Kotoamatsukami and therefore would be unable to use it against the interloper.

Was it Hiruzen, here to arrest him? Or was it Itachi, here to make sure he kept his promise of staying away from Sasuke Uchiha? Perhaps it was Orochimaru, simply being, well...Orochimaru. Before he could address the one responsible, he felt a presence that sent a chill up his spine, standing behind his desk chair. The Phantom had a kunai place against the leader of Root's neck and was almost drawing blood. Danzo absentmindedly wondered if his guards had been killed, that'd be a pity.

"Who are you?" he demanded in a stoic voice. He wasn't afraid of this intruder, the fear of death had abandoned him long ago. Or maybe it was because the figure had yet to kill him?

"Hello, Danzo-sama," the figure eerily purred from behind his mask. Upon slightly turning his head Danzo was able to notice that the intruder was wearing the uniform of one of his Root guards.

Danzo responded almost immediately, "I'll ask you once more, who are you?" his tone was as cold as ice and would make even the most seasoned shinobi tremble in fear.

"I can't say," the figured absentmindedly responded. The shadow's voice was oddly soothing. "However, I suppose I would most accurately be described as the monster without a name."

Upon hearing this strange statement, Danzo was immediately able to tell who the intruder was. "Naruto Uzumaki," he said. "So you are the one responsible for that smoke in the sky. I should have known that such a place could never hold you."

"I have dreamt of the end many times," stated the strange boy, once again seemingly ignoring the words of the one with whom he was conversing "And yet, after the events of this day, I have come across something different altogether. A clearer vision of the true ending."

"The ending for you or me?" Danzo asked. One of them would likely die here today, but which one would it be, he wondered?

"The end of everything," the boy calmly retorted, almost before Danzo even finished his sentence. "In the end, humanity is destined to kill one another, until the day comes in which there is no one left. I intend to be the last one standing when that day arrives."

"What of your sister? Will she die as well," Danzo asked. This boy was truly beyond comprehension.

"You speak as though Mito and I are separate entities," Naruto said, and Danzo could practically feel the smile behind the boy's mask. "She is me, and I am her."

"You are insane," Danzo stated resolutely. There was no doubt in his mind that this child was severely ill. It was a shame; the boy had so much potential. However, Danzo was no fool; he knew such a person would never be molded into an asset for Konoha. The child would sooner be the reason for Konoha's destruction.

Upon realizing the severity of his situation, he quickly moved to form a hand sign. None of his jutsu were fast enough to kill the Uzumaki child before he was murdered. His only hope would be to activate Izanagi before it was too late. It was moments like this that he cursed his lack of Uchiha blood. An Uchiha would be able to activate the Jutsu without even needing to weave a single hand sign.

However, before he could bring his hand up, he felt a painful sensation going through the front of his neck. When looking down, he saw that a dangerous amount of blood was leaking. He made to say something, but he found himself unable to speak. The boy had severed his trachea, preventing him from being able to yell. Furthermore, his experience with murder served to tell him that his carotid artery had also been severed. His body would be unable to send newly oxygenated blood to his brain.

At this point struggling for his life was pointless, as the boy had taken a grip on his arm to prevent him from forming even a single hand sign. He felt himself weakening quickly. His body subconsciously attempted to take a breath through his severed windpipe, but it only resulted in him gargling blood and coughing.

"This is what the true death of a shinobi is, right Danzo-san?" Naruto asked. "Never seeing the light of day, toiling in the shadows. That's the way of a true shinobi. At least, that was the mantra you constantly spewed at your underlings. It only fits that you die in such a dark and lonely place as this."

Even while suffering from the pain of having his throat slit, he couldn't help but feel the need to shiver at the boy's voice. No matter what the situation was, Naruto always spoke with that eerie, serene tone. It was impossible to rattle him as he never seemed to get nervous or afraid. In fact, he couldn't even imagine the boy speaking in any other way, as it was the only way he'd heard him talk for as long as he'd known him.

At least when he was younger, there was still a hint of innocence to it. But he supposed he was the one responsible for changing that. He thought he was creating an asset that would lead Konoha long after his death. However, the only thing he succeeded in doing was creating a monster. Which is why it was fitting that said monster was the one to take his life.

"I wonder what the world will think of you?" Naruto asked while maintaining his tight grip on Danzo's chin. "What will they think of the old root, hidden within the darkness? Even in death, will you ever be as revered and respected as the Third Hokage?"

As the life began to leave his lone visible eye, Danzo began to think back on his past. He remembered his childhood, playing with Hiruzen. And he remembered his young adulthood and being jealous when Hiruzen was appointed as the Third Hokage.

Upon thinking back on the death of his sensei, he couldn't help but compare it to his own and felt disappointment. Self-sacrifice, that was what epitomized a shinobi. For what purpose had he sacrificed his life? None, he had simply had his throat slit like a pig while he was sitting in his office. However, he felt like it was a fitting death for one such as himself.

'Hiruzen,' Danzo thought to himself in his final moments. 'It seems like it is my time. But in the end, I could never become Hokage. No matter how fast I ran, I was never able to catch up to you.'

'You are a leaf, upon which light shines. I was nothing but a foundation, hidden in darkness. What do you think of someone like me?' Danzo thought as his eye began to close.

'Hiruzen,' he continued. 'What was I to you?'

And with that, the Shinobi of Darkness died.

 **~Break~**

Kakashi Hatake had seen a great many things during his lifetime. However, none of his previous experiences could have prepared him for what he saw today.

He and his squad arrived at Orphanage 8 about an hour ago. After ten minutes of attempting to quell the fire with many water style Jutsu, it was finally extinguished. They immediately checked the building for survivors and were dismayed when they found none.

It was a grizzly sight, with several charred corpses strewn throughout many of the rooms. However, what shocked Kakashi, the most was the cause of death. The fire had killed none of these victims, so how did they die?"

"I suppose this is the burden of our job," a voice behind him said, a voice he immediately recognized as his comrade, Tenzo. The former Root shinobi continued, "Being forced to see sights like this. Us Anbu have it rough, eh?"

"We could have it worse," Kakashi responded while looking at a particularly young burnt corpse. A child so young had lost their life this evening. For what purpose? Who or what was responsible?

"You're right about that, Kakashi-senpai," Tenzo said in a somber tone, catching on to what his Captain was implying. He continued, "Have we discovered the cause of death?"

"Not yet, but at the very least we should be able to identify the bodies from their dental records. Thankfully, the fire wasn't hot enough to make their teeth unsalvageable," Kakashi observed with a level head. He'd need to put aside his emotions to do his job correctly. However, he couldn't help but wonder what Minato-sensei, Rin, and Obito would think of all of this. Surely, his sensei would have analyzed the situation with a much more level head than he could ever dream of possessing.

"They all killed one another," a wise voice, easily recognizable as belonging to the Hokage said from behind the two operatives. "Everyone within this facility killed each other, the signs are there."

Kakashi sighed upon hearing this. He too had noticed the signs, but he had hoped that he was wrong. What would compel these children to take each other's lives? What kind of Orphanage was this?

"Sir!" an ANBU said while appearing before him. "We have finished collecting the remains and have sent them in for analysis."

"Thank you," Kakashi said. "You and the others are dismissed." Immediately after saying that, his squad, excluding Tenzo, performed a shunshin Jutsu and left the area.

"What do you think, Kakashi?" the Third Hokage asked, clearly valuing his subordinate's opinion.

Kakashi responded after a few moments of thought, "I believe that whatever was going on in this orphanage was not natural. It looks more like a mental institution."

"Naruto was a resident of this orphanage," the Hokage said solemnly, making Kakashi's lone eye widen in shock.

'That can't be possible,' Kakashi thought in dread. 'How could Minato-sensei's son have lived in such a place?'

"W-was he found, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"He was spotted walking through the village not too long after we became aware of this incident. He is alive, but we have yet to find him," Sarutobi said. Kakashi didn't know if he should feel relieved that Naruto was alive or afraid at the fact that his sensei's son was now missing.

"Hokage-sama, I request that you allow me to lead the search party!" Kakashi begged after kneeling before his leader.

"There will be multiple. However, I will allow you to lead one of the search parties, Kakashi." the Hokage said, understanding and admiring Kakashi's sense of duty.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said before he too performed a shunshin jutsu and left the area, with Tenzo following soon after.

Hiruzen sighed upon looking towards the now pitch black night sky. "It seems that I have failed you, Minato, Kushina," he said, in a regretful tone that did well to demonstrate his advanced age.

 **~Break~**

The news was everywhere; apparently, a burning orphanage near the outskirts of the village was the source of the smoke in the sky. Tragically, there were no survivors.

Sasuke sighed upon hearing the news. Such a tragedy was similar to what occurred to his clan all those years ago. Was Konoha simply a bastion of tragedy and death, or was the entire world like this? In the end, no matter how much he thought about it, he was never able to be sure.

What he was sure of, however, was his need to kill his brother. He may not be able to change the world as a whole, but he felt responsible for his brother. How could he live in peace while his brother was out there doing who knows what? No, he would kill him, not only to avenge his clan but also to fulfill what he felt to be his responsibility to society.

His thoughts drifted towards his fellow classmate, Mito Uzumaki. She was the only one who could understand his pain. Only she has experienced the loss of the people she loved. He supposed her brother had too, but he'd rather not think about the blonde haired boy.

The female Uzumaki twin was unlike her brother, in so many ways. While their external appearances were nearly identical, minus the difference in hair color, they were like opposites. She was friendly and energetic, he was introverted and calm, she was near the bottom of their academy class, and he was at the top, at least while he was still enrolled. But most of all, there was one crucial difference between them. She had something that Naruto didn't have, and that was her expression. She had the most wonderful, human expressions on her face.

Sasuke didn't particularly desire to be her friend, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't admire her ability to push through adversity while still maintaining that bright smile. Was it because she was stronger than him, deep down, where it counted? Or was she merely naive? It was hard to tell, but either way, he envied her apparent never ending optimism.

As he was making his way to his apartment, he remembered that today was July 18th. His birthday would be in five days. Not that it mattered to him.

 **~Break~**

Upon realizing that the young Uzumaki boy would not be found through simple means, Kakashi went to the Konoha Archive Library to gain some more information.

What he found, or rather, what he was unable to find shocked him. There was almost no information on this, Orphanage 8. Other than the fact that it was funded by several people within Fire Country, however, their names had been sanitized.

'Whoever they were, they must have been rich,' he thought to himself. The sheer value of the equipment within the facility astonishing. The funds required to purchase and maintain such equipment was likely vast.

He attempted to check for any records of the purchases so he could find where they came from, but there was nothing. This whole process was beginning to frustrate him. Was he wasting valuable time here? The time that could have been used to search for his sensei's son?

However, he soon found information of incredible value. He was not the only person to request access to this information. Within the past 50 years of Orphanage 8's existence, several people had made inquiries. Some names caught his eye immediately; however, the name at the bottom of the list shocked him.

"Sakumo Hatake," he whispered breathlessly. The date of his inquiry was not too long before his suicide. In fact, he visited exactly eleven days before the tragic event.

'Could there be a correlation?' he wondered to himself. 'A relationship between this discovery and the death of my father?' Perhaps he was reaching, but he had always found it odd that his father had taken his own life due to dishonor. No doubt it played a part, but could it have been the only reason?

He put aside his thoughts in favor of getting back to why he came here in the first place. The mystery of his father could wait, but Naruto could not. For all he knew, the child could be in danger of dying.

 **~Break~**

News of the tragic demise of the children of Orphanage 8 had spread throughout Fire Country very quickly. Much like when the Kyuubi attack and the Uchiha Massacre had occurred several temples throughout the vast country were hosting candlelit vigils.

Naruto was walking along with the large group of mourners. His attire consisted of a loose-fitting, light blue kimono shirt with billowing sleeves that nearly reached his fingertips. It was tied by a thick dark-brown Ono-stylised belt. It was topped off with a pair of black Anbu style pants with black shin high sandals.

People who had never even stepped foot into Konoha were getting teary eyed during the head Monk's speech. And in Naruto's opinion, it was very odd. After having narrowly escaped the village he had decided to attend a vigil in honor of his fallen 'friends.' After all, society dictated that it was the right thing to do.

He wondered why people were pretending to care. Was it because, much like his reason for being here, society dedicated it? However, unlike him, who was only here ironically, these people were weeping for those they had never met before. He wondered how many of them would be willing to adopt an orphaned child?

All human beings are unique, with complex feelings and motivations. So why is it, that in spite of all that, they have still united together since the beginning of history? The truth is, humans, joined together due to their mutual fear of death. In spite of all their differences, all of humanity fears nonexistence. Except for him, but he was different.

He noticed a group of children acting out during the procession. Children were always the perfect example of a human's true nature. As children, all people are selfish and are unable to empathize with anyone honestly. It isn't until they experience the feeling of loss that they are truly able to understand the value of life. And when they discover the value of life, they immediately begin to fear death.

After walking with the group of mourning sheep, he had begun to grow bored. He noticed an opportunity to leave unnoticed and took it.

He found a narrow path within the woods and began to follow it, without any particular destination in mind. However, after several minutes of traveling, he felt a faint presence sneaking in the trees behind him. He immediately threw a handful of kunai at his target, but they were easily dodged.

The figure landed on the path behind him, allowing him to get a good look. He wore a short black jacket with red straps over the shoulders, as customary of all Root members. He also wore a high collared, all black outfit with a red sash around his waist and what appeared to be an apron over his pants, and carried several pouches with him and wore a pair of black gloves. Most notably, however, was that except f a small area around his nose and mouth, his features were covered by a mask. He also had a pair of glasses built into the mask, obscuring his eyes.

After processing the information, Naruto was able to identify the man as Torune Aburame. After killing Danzo, he had taken a look through some of his ledgers and files. While there wasn't much information of value, he did learn a fair bit about some of Danzo's more notable soldiers. Torune was one of Danzo's most elite subordinates and would no doubt cause Naruto trouble if the situation wasn't handled properly.

"Torune Aburame," Naruto said in a calm and beautiful tone, for once being the person to initiate a conversation. "I did not take Root Anbu for being men of vengeance."

Without responding the Aburame dashed at him with blinding speed, tanto in hand. Naruto managed to narrowly avoid the strike that would have put him in the market for some new insides. However, the Root Anbu predicted his maneuver and threw a set of shuriken in the direction in which he was about to land.

Seeing as though he had little options, the blonde Uzumaki performed a quick substitution jutsu and hid in the foliage. He needed to think of a plan. Thankfully, Torune likely didn't have much knowledge of his abilities, while he knew a lot about the stoic Aburame. Enough to know that if the man coated any part of his body with his nano-sized venomous insects, he would need to avoid it at all cost.

With stealth being his specialty, Naruto was able to remain unfound by the elite Anbu. However, he could not leave this man alive. Any unworthy person that saw his true face would not live to tell the tale. After thinking that, he made a single hand sign.

Immediately, he could be seen jumping from the tree line and made a move to attack his opponent from behind. Torune seemingly predicted the move and made to counter it with a block. It was effective, and Naruto was forced to jump to the other end of the clearing.

He was in his element, a battle to the death. Testing the value of his life against that of another. However, he had little doubt that he would be the one walking away victorious from this battle.

He quickly weaved through a series of hand signs and launched a relatively large fireball at his opponent. He was very well versed in a vast array of ninjutsu. With his favorite being fire style, for obvious reasons. However, he did particularly enjoy wind style, with its ability to turn single spark of fire into a roaring inferno.

With that thought in mind, he went through another string of hand signs. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough," he said just under his breath.

The powerful blast of wind immediately hit the fireball and fulfilled it's desired effect. The explosion of flames was massive, almost engulfing the entire clearing. The feeling of the heat on his skin took Naruto back to the events of two days ago. He couldn't help but compare the immense satisfaction he felt that evening to what he was feeling now, he found that this battle lacked the same mental intrigue. However, while outright killing a person wasn't as ideal as making them facilitate their demise, a fight was still a viable option in his eyes.

As the fire began to die out, he noticed that there was no longer another figure at the end of the clearing. However, he was confident that the Root Anbu was not dead. His suspicion was confirmed when a felt a presence behind him. The man was very close to impaling him with his blade.

Naruto jumped back and opened one of the small scrolls from his pouch. Upon opening it, in a puff of smoke a chokuto appeared, Naruto's preferred weapon of choice. The blade was made of beautiful, high-quality steel, and was longer than a typical chokuto. The Tsuba (Hand-guard) was made with iron-steel laminate and was black in color, with the Kashira (Butt Cap) being made from the same material. The hilt of the blade was wrapped in black Tsuka-Ito (Wrap) and decorated with white, diamond shaped Samegawa (Ray Skin Wrap). He immediately drew the sword from it's sleek, black wooden scabbard and prepared for battle.

He charged his opponent in an attempt to catch him off guard. However, the Aburame parried his slash and then tried to deliver one of his own.

It was a standstill, as they were both equally skilled in close quarters combat. The Aburame, however, had a trick up his sleeve. A trick that would hopefully, if done correctly, put this monster down. He removed the glove from his right hand in a way to make sure is opponent didn't notice.

As they ran at each other to trade blows once more, it struck. As Torune blocked the blonde Uzumaki's blade to the side, he reached for his exposed neck with his ungloved hand. It had become a dark purple, covered entirely in his venomous insects. 'This would do it,' he thought. 'This is the end.'

The hand connected and he took a tight grip on the younger boy's throat. The insects began to spread immediately, extending all over his neck and down the blonde's chest. However, there was no pain on the boy's face; he truly was a freak. However, Torune looked down as he thought he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Upon further inspection, he saw the end of his opponent's chokuto sticking out of his sternum.

He turned his head and saw a perfect replica of the blonde standing behind him holding the blade. He turned back towards the one he had 'killed, ' and it smirked at him before popping in a cloud of smoke.

'A shadow clone,' he thought. 'The boy tricked me with a shadow clone.'

When Naruto substituted himself into the tree line, he must have created a clone before sending said clone to fight him. Then the real him quietly waited for the best opportunity to land the killing blow. It was so unlike him to fall for such a trick.

'It seems that I let my emotions get the best of me,' he thought. 'Danzo-sama, I failed you.' And with that, he took his last breath.

Naruto allowed his shoulders to relax once he realized the battle was over. Danzo was such a fool. He thought he succeeded in creating emotionless tools, and yet, his opponent died because he had let his emotions cloud his judgment.

He looked at the corpse in utter apathy. He weaved through several hand signs before igniting the body in fire. It would be best for him to eliminate any possible evidence of his involvement. He looked back once more before continuing on his way.

 **~Break~**

Mito was standing in front of a tree that had many slash marks on it. She was sweating profusely, which was rare since she had so much endurance. She tensed her muscles and sprinted towards the tree again. She began running up the tree, but the higher up she got, the slower she became.

She had just made it past her highest previous mark before she felt her foot once again slipping against the bark. She quickly made another slash, to mark her progress, and fell gracefully to the ground.

She had seen her brother practicing this exercise once before. He seemed to take to it much faster than she was now, but she didn't let that discourage her. For a while she was not as elite as her brother in terms or raw talent, she made up for it for her drive to never give up.

"Honey," her foster mother, Eto, called to her. "Why don't you take a break, you've been at it all day."

Mito ignored her. It was one of those moments in which she blocked out all outside noise and focused entirely on her thoughts. She had grown much in these since she was a young child, not just in size, but also in spirit.

Her attire was a sleeveless kimono-style blouse that was yellow in color and held closed with a green obi over a short-sleeved mesh shirt with a pair of dark blue shorts and brown shinobi sandals.

She ran up the tree once more, and she made it higher than she had ever been able to before. However, her vision soon began to get spotty, and her body felt very light. She careened towards the ground at a fast speed and hit it with a loud thud. The last thing she heard was her foster mother screaming her name.

 **~Break~**

 _Upon opening her eyes, Mito found herself in a bizarre location. For whatever reason, she was back at Konoha Orphanage. She was laying in her old bed and was wearing her old pajamas. She quickly realized something was wrong as she looked down at her body and noticed that she was significantly smaller._

 _She looked over at the bed next to her and saw her brother lying in his bed, with his eyes glazed over. She made to jump in surprise but found that she had no control over her body. She noticed a man sitting at their bedside reading them a book. She listened intently to hear the words._

 _The story was about a little boy who wandered the world, looking for his parents. He had never met them before, but he had faith that he one day would. He knew that they must have experienced some tough times. The people at the orphanage told him that his parents likely thought that they were in a situation that made them feel unsuitable to raise him. The matron even gave him a photo of them. As he searched, he came across several couples but found that none of them matched the picture that he was given. Nobody helped him, nobody cared. Soon, he gave up; he believed that no matter how far he traveled, he'd never find them. He cried for five days and five nights during his journey home. As he returned to his village, he passed a coffee shop that was two blocks away from the orphanage and immediately stopped. There, sitting at a table enjoying their day sat his parents. They wore beautiful clothes and seemed to be very happy. He went running towards them but immediately stopped. Seated in a highchair was a young child, a child with hair and facial features very similar to his own. The mother was spoon feeding the child ice cream, and the father was laughing as most of it was getting all over the child's face. They all laughed together, their faces the perfect picture of glee. The boy was dismayed as he walked the other direction, realizing that his parents had not wanted him. He was alone._

As soon as she heard the story end, she awoke with a start. However, this time she was no longer in the orphanage, but in the hospital. She turned her head and saw her foster parents sleeping in chairs situated at the side of her bed.

She immediately realized that what she had experienced was a dream. However, why did it feel so real? It was like she was she was just in the room, hearing that story.

Was, it a memory, or merely a bad dream? Come to think if it, she wasn't even sure if her brain was capable of dreaming up such a depressing story. The message of the story was clear. Those who were orphaned were alone in the world, with nobody to love them. Who would write such a story? Clearly, someone who thought making orphaned children miserable was funny. She wondered what impact hearing such a story would have had on her young, tender, psyche?

But more importantly, how had it affected her brother? He seemed to have been listening to the story with extreme intensity. However, she immediately put the 'memory' aside as being a mere dream.

If she had ever been told such a story, she was sure she would have never forgotten it. Right?

 **~Break~**

Sasuke was sitting in his regular seat at the academy, near the window. Most days he preferred only to ignore any and everything that was going on in the classroom. While he was the same age as most of his classmates, he often felt like he was an adult forced to interact with young children c

The Nara boy, Shikamaru, could be considered the exception to the rule, but Sasuke found his laziness to be childlike in nature. Other than that he couldn't think of a single person in the room with him what had a mature bone in their body.

There were Sakura and Ino; both were two girls so enamored with him that it was irritating. They didn't even know him, and yet they claimed to love him? What crap.

Then there was Kiba, the most obnoxious person Sasuke had ever met. He had this unearned air of confidence that made Sasuke want to put him in his place. And he had, several times, during the sparring training sessions. The dog-boy always made excuses, saying that if he could have used his partner, Akamaru, in the fight, he would have won. Relying on a dog to help you win your battles? How pathetic, and even more pathetic to make such a pitiful excuse.

When going over all the irritating qualities of his classmates, his gaze went over to Mito's desk, and he remembered that she wasn't here today. Apparently, she had fallen and injured herself during training. At least someone other than himself spent time trying to improve themselves. He didn't care that she was near the bottom of the class in rankings, the fact that she put in the work brought her above all these other people in his opinion.

He knew what it was like, trying to train hard enough to forget the pain. He had been in such a state for so long that he even forgot how his laugh sounded. He was confident that if someone ever managed to make him laugh, it would result in an awful raspy sound, caused by a lack of 'laughing experience.'

'Jeez,' he thought to himself. 'Do I ever think positive thoughts?'

His attention was brought to the front of the room when it was announced that the class would be going outside for sparring. Perhaps today would be different? Perhaps someone would be able to challenge him. However, he doubted that would ever happen. Such a thought wasn't arrogant in his opinion. When you toss enough pigs off of a roof, you start the realize that they'll never be able to fly. It wasn't pessimism; it was fact.

After following the other students outside, he stood a little off to the side as he waited for his name to be called. He didn't care enough to watch the other matches. He was only concerned with his development. Development what was starting to be stunted by a lack of real challenges.

After a few minutes, he heard his name called, along with the subject of his previous thoughts, Kiba. The Inuzuka seemed to be eager to prove his superiority. Why he thought such a thing was ever going to be possible, Sasuke would never know.

They stood at the center of the sparring circle, with both of them not wanting to make the seal of confrontation, both preferring to get things completed. However, they both obeyed protocol and made the sign.

Kiba was the one to charge Sasuke, which was unsurprising. The Inuzuka boy's attacks were wild and sloppy as if he were a rabid beast. An obnoxious rabid beast that Sasuke would be happy to put down.

Sasuke spent the next few moments weaving in and out of Kiba's attacks with practiced ease. To those watching, it didn't even look like he was trying. And for once, looks weren't deceiving.

However, in the midst of the battle Kiba managed to graze Sasuke's forehead with his middle and index fingers. Sasuke saw red. In place of Kiba, he saw Itachi, telling him how much of a foolish little brother he was, with the fake smile on his face. It was always what Itachi would call him after poking his forehead.

For once, Sasuke became the aggressor. He unleashed a flurry of powerful strikes that shocked his opponent. One managed to hit the boy's jaw, and another his stomach. The Inuzuka boy collapsed on his back in pain, but Sasuke wouldn't relent. He jumped on top of his opponent and released a brutal barrage of punches against his unprotected head.

Before he managed to kill Kiba, or at least cause him brain damage, he was roughly pulled off. Upon seeing Iruka-sensei's shocked and appalled face, he realized what he had done. Never before had he felt such an uncontrollable rage. He prided himself on his rationality, and yet he brutally attacked a fellow student for doing something they couldn't possibly have known would anger him.

Was this how he would react when he saw Itachi? How could he defeat his brother, one of the most skilled and talented shinobi to ever grace the village, if he fought like such a wild beast. He immediately noticed the irony of it all. He had just finished criticizing Kiba for fighting like a 'rabid animal.'

"Sasuke!" his sensei shouted in anger. "Go home! You clearly have something bothering you today. I won't allow any further infractions from you, do you understand?"

Sasuke nodded and then left the training ground. Passing by his fellow students, he noticed that even Ino and Sakura were giving him looks of trepidation. That's how he knew he'd messed up.

 **~Break~**

As he was making his way to his apartment, he couldn't help but drift his thoughts over to his Uzumaki classmate. What would she have thought of his actions? And why did he suddenly care about her opinion?

As if fate was guiding the steps he found that he was in front of the hospital. For some reason, he decided that he wanted to see Mito. Perhaps, he wished to explain his actions to the only person he felt could understand him.

He approached the front desk and asked what room his classmate was admitted to. The nurse informed him of where to go, and he was on his way. Apparently, both of her foster parents went to work once the realized she wasn't in any real danger. That was good, as he wasn't too interested in meeting them.

Before continuing, he took a look at his clothing to make sure there wasn't any Kiba-blood on it. He was wearing a navy blue, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar, white shorts, and white arm warmers.

Upon entering the room, he was relieved to see that it was, in fact, lacking any other visitors. He approached her bed and received a look that could likely be put in the dictionary next to the word confused. Funny enough, he was probably more confused than her. Why was he even here?

As if she could read his mind, she spoke, "What are you doing here, Sasuke?"

Sasuke merely shrugged his shoulders and took a seat in the chair facing the bed; it was relatively comfortable. It smelled like soap, which led him to believe that Mito's foster mother had been sitting there before him.

"Is there something you needed?" she asked. "Honestly, you were the last person I'd expect to see visiting me here."

"And why is that?" Sasuke asked. He didn't know if he should be offended or not by her question. However, even he had to admit; his visit was definitely out of character and unexpected.

"Well," she said, pausing for a moment as if thinking about what to say. "I know that you and I aren't on bad terms or anything. But I didn't expect for you to end up visiting me before any of my friends did."

Sasuke scoffed upon hearing this. What kind of friends wouldn't visit their injured friend in the hospital? And this was coming from the most introverted and antisocial person in the village.

"Well, maybe you should find some new friends then," he responded.

"Like you?" she teased. Even in such a bad condition, she was still up for teasing? How could he, an entirely healthy boy, be toiling about through the day complaining, while she was here trying to be positive?

"I heard that you injured yourself while training," he said, trying to change the subject. "What kind of training were you doing?"

For once, he was genuinely curious. What kind of training could cause a person to fall from such a height and hit their head? Was she trying to wrestle a hawk mid-air?

Okay, even he found his last thought to be incredibly stupid.

"I was doing the tree climbing exercise," she answered, much to his confusion.

"What is the tree climbing exercise?" he asked. Was Mito a squirrel now? Well, once during lunch, he glanced over at her while she was eating, and she turned her body away, as if to prevent him from stealing her food, and began nibbling on her candy bar like a chipmunk while still looking at him in her peripheral vision. He remembered that he almost palmed his face at her goofy expression. So he supposed her being a squirrel wasn't too far fetched.

"It's an exercise in which you channel chakra to your feet and try to walk up a tree with no hands," she said. "It's tough."

"And dangerous, apparently," he quipped. "I'd imagine you're the first future Konoha shinobi to get brain damage while climbing a tree with no hands."

"Shut up! Why are you such a b-hole?" she asked while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"B-hole?" he asked. "What are you, eight?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing.

On Sasuke's part, it wasn't much, merely a lighthearted chuckle. But he could hear it! He could hear his laugh in what felt like the first time in forever. And you know what? It was beautiful.

 **~End~**


	3. Chapter Three

**The Monster Within Us All: Chapter 3**

It was an oddly foggy day on the river, and that was a sign of immense danger. However, the captain of the ferry had quite a bit of experience under his belt, so he wasn't worried.

It was an easy job. He would simply need to transport people and cargo across the wide river and then go back. It typically took about six hours to do, with each half of the trip being roughly three hours long. A boring job, but an easy one.

However, even he had to acknowledge that this fog was something he'd never seen before. He could hardly see anything, and his passengers were beginning to get uneasy. The children were huddled into their parent's chests, and the adults were doing their best to appear unafraid.

He felt like he was in the beginning of some horror movie, and that he'd turn over his shoulder and see some sort of ghost ship pursuing them. It was a funny thought, really. But when you were as bored as him, you had to try your best to entertain yourself.

"Can you feel that?" his co-captain asked. "It feels like we're being watched. I've never felt such a feeling before, sir."

"Keep your chin up," the captain responded. "The moment we start getting afraid is when everything goes to shit. As the captains of this ship, we must set an example for those aboard by remaining calm."

His co-captain nodded and then left the Bridge of the ship, leaving him alone. It was what he preferred, being alone with his thoughts. He wouldn't consider himself a loner by any means. But sometimes it was better to just have some alone time.

However, his instincts soon kicked in as he noticed something strange. A small boat was approaching the port side of his ship. It was small and looked like it could only hold 3-4 people. However, the oddest part was that it was entirely empty and engulfed in flames.

It bobbed about the choppy river current and then collided with his ship. The difference in size was great, so it just bounced off like a gnat. However, it served the purpose of getting the attention of everyone on board.

Before he could blink several individuals scaled the starboard side of the ship. The were rather unruly looking people and were armed to the teeth. It seemed like the empty boat was a distraction, and it worked. He looked towards the starboard side and saw several small boats, just like flaming one from earlier. However, they were obviously not in flames.

He wondered when they were going to make their demands, but was shocked when one of them impaled a passenger. In his experience with pirates, they never immediately attacked, they made several requests first.

The first murder sparked what could only be described as a bloodbath. The interlopers began slaughtering the passengers and crew with reckless abandon. The deck of the ship was starting to be soaked with blood. Dear God, they weren't even sparing the children.

He felt a presence behind him and quickly turned. There was a man, who seemed to be a little distinguishable from the rest. He too was wearing the same crude leather armor, but he had the air of a leader. He had spiky brown hair and a face that was riddled with scars. However, what immediately grabbed his attention was his headband. It was a Kirigakure headband, but there was a slash mark going through it. This showed that the man wasn't an ordinary pirate like his comrades, he was a rogue shinobi.

Before he could ask the man what he wanted, he was stabbed in the chest. It seemed like these weren't ordinary pirates after all.

 **~Break~**

Today was the day. The day that she would finally become a shinobi. Mito had not been this excited in a very long time. In spite of all the tragic events that seemed to follow her, she finally achieved her goal.

She looked over to the other side of the room and saw Sasuke sitting in his typical, disinterested pose. Believe it or not, they hadn't spoken much since he visited her in the hospital. But that was okay with her, as she considered their friendship to be a more of an unspoken type of bond.

A few days after his visit she found out about his vicious assault of Kiba. A part of her wanted to approach him and tell him to apologize, but her instincts told her that she should mind her business. She knew Sasuke, and he wasn't the type to just randomly explode in rage. There must have been something going on in his head, something she could probably empathize with.

She began paying attention once more as Iruka-sensei started announcing the teams. First, he told them how proud he was of their accomplishment. But he also told them not to become too complacent. This was merely the beginning of their journey, not the end.

He first announced Team 10. Saying the members would be, Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru. He then stated that their sensei would be a man named Asuma Sarutobi. Ino didn't seem too happy about her team. She laid her head down in her arms and groaned in despair.

Mito frowned a little at seeing this. It didn't seem fair to Ino's new teammates for her to be behaving in such a way. However, when looking at them, Shikamaru wasn't even awake, and Choji was too engrossed in his bag of chips. They were sitting next to each other since they were known to be best friends.

Next, Iruka-sensei announced team 8, since Team 9 was already an active genin team. He said that the team would consist of Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. Apparently, their sensei would be Kurenai Yuhi. Mito cared a lot for Hinata. She had once saved the Hyuuga heir from bullies, and they'd been friends ever since. In fact, she would argue that they were best friends.

And finally, Iruka-sensei announced team 7. Her ears perked up when she heard her name called first, followed with Sasuke's and Sakura's. Their sensei would be some guy named Kakashi. However, immediately after listening to the announcement, Sakura jumped in celebration. She was with her friend and the love of her life, how could it get any better?

Mito glanced over towards Sasuke and noticed that he was already looking at her. They both nodded to each other in acknowledgment. The unspoken message was clear, they'd succeed together.

 **~Break~**

Kakashi sighed. Today was another day in which he would be forced to take on a genin team. He hated it so much. He felt as though the Hokage was forcing him to do this to make him socialize.

For the past year, he had been a man on a mission. He had investigated any possible angle about Orphanage 8 and the location of his sensei's son. He wasn't able to learn much, but what he did learn was very important.

Apparently, the facility was not under the jurisdiction of the Hokage. In fact, it technically wasn't even a Konoha facility. It fell under the purview of the Land of Fire and was controlled by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Both of these factions were a part of the government that presided over the entire nation.

Furthermore, he discovered that most of the occupants were either children with criminal records or the children of criminals. The son of the Fourth Hokage did not belong in such a place.

On another note, Danzo Shimura had been found dead in his private residence a day after the orphanage burned down. It appeared as though his throat had been slit roughly four hours after the building went up in flames. To Kakashi, this proved that Danzo was somehow involved with Orphanage 8. He couldn't prove how, but he knew it to be true. It seemed like something Danzo would do anyway.

He stopped his train of thought in favor of looking up at the academy building. He had, apparently, reached his destination without even noticing. He sighed, dreading what he had to do. Sometimes he wished he had the enthusiasm of his rival, Maito Guy, but then he remembered the odd man's green spandex and purged those thoughts from his mind.

He absentmindedly noticed that he was four hours late. However, that was nothing new, so he shrugged it off.

When standing before the sliding door of the classroom, he felt of moment of seriousness. He would be looking after Minato-sensei's daughter for the foreseeable future. He would not let her down like he had let her brother down.

He sighed once more, and then opened the door.

 **~Break~**

The coastguardsman was feeling a little irritated. For whatever reason, a ferry scheduled to arrive 2 hours ago had yet to show up. They checked and discovered that it had, in fact, left on schedule. The entire situation was odd. However, he attributed it some irritating problem with the ship's engine.

As he made his way through the river, he noticed something in the distance. It was the ferry, there was no doubt about it. He increased the speed of his boat and set sail towards his target.

The closer he got, the more uneasy he became, "Why is there nobody visible on the ship?" he muttered.

He stopped next to the ship and noticed the charred remains of a small boat. What on earth was going on here?

He quickly and efficiently boarded the vessel. However, as he turned to examine the deck, his eyes widened in shock. It was a bloodbath, nobody survived. He slowly made his way towards the Bridge of the ship, hoping some answers may be there. But upon entering, he immediately regretted his decision.

He bent over and vomited. On the ship's wheel was a horrible sight. The captain's severed head had been impaled on one of the wheel's handles.

He stayed bent over, with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "I need to report this," he said. "I need to report this immediately. This is beyond me."

Faster than he had ever moved before, he ran towards his boat. Once he was situated behind the wheel, he started the engine and was on his way to the mainland. The local authorities needed to hear about this.

 **~Break~**

'What a day it has been,' Sasuke thought while making his way home. He was shocked to learn that he was not quite a genin yet. However, he had no issue with completing a survival exercise.

He turned a corner but stopped immediately. Right in front of his face, was a growling dog. The beast was nearly the size of a wolf, and it was accompanied by two of its brethren.

Standing behind them with her arms crossed over her chest was a young woman. A woman he recognized to be Kiba's older sister. 'Damnit,' he thought. 'I don't have time for this.'

He tried to walk around them, but the hounds immediately blocked his path once more.

"Where do you think you're going?" the woman growled. Practically seeming like a dog herself, rather than a human being.

She had long brown hair which she wore in a ponytail with two locks of hair framing her face over her large, black eyes. She also wore a light shade of lipstick and had the traditional fang-like tattoos of the Inuzuka clan on both of her cheeks, in addition to a tattoo on her upper right arm, resembling a flower. She was wearing a form-fitting variation of the Konoha flak jacket which doesn't have any chest pockets, and she kept the front of her jacket unzipped, exposing her cleavage. She also wore a pair of form-fitting shorts cut just above the knee, and bandages just below her tattoo and wrist-warmers.

He glared right into the face of the ninja hound, showing no fear. While he was doing this, however, the other two dogs circled around him, so that he was surrounded.

"I heard that you became a genin," Hana said. "Do you know what that means?"

Sasuke didn't answer, having no interest in entertaining the nonsense of the feral-looking woman.

She continued as if she didn't even care about his reply. "It means that you and I are now allowed to have a friendly spar. However, I'm feeling a little too excited. I don't think I'm patient enough for us to walk all the way to the training ground. You're excited too, right? Let's fight here."

As she said that, her dogs lowered themselves closer to the ground. They growled, foaming at the mouth. It was as if the Uchiha survivor was facing off with three monsters. He absentmindedly wondered if they would try to eat him? That would suck.

It was evident that this sparring 'invitation' was motivated by his beat down of Kiba a year ago. The Inuzuka boy had to be hospitalized for several days and was unable to attend the academy for a few weeks.

As if reading his mind, she growled, "Did you think we had forgotten? My little brother might be a young pup, but I'm not. Let's see if you can handle a more skilled opponent."

"I'm warning you," Sasuke responded, in his typical, irritated tone. "If you attack me, I won't show any mercy."

They both tensed their muscles. However, it was clear to him that before he could get to the Inuzuka woman, he'd have to fight off her rabid beasts.

He wasn't afraid. In the past, he'd stared into the murderous Sharingan eyes of Itachi Uchiha. This, in comparison, was child's play.

However, before the confrontation could escalate into a battle. An admittedly intimidating presence made itself known.

"Hana! What do you think you're doing?!" the Inuzuka Matriarch, Tsume yelled. "Are you trying to disgrace our clan?"

The head of the Inuzuka clan was quite a sight to behold. She had an animalistic look similar to that of her son, with long, spiky, untamed brown hair, vertical slit-like pupils, elongated canine teeth, and nails. She also had the clan fang markings on her cheeks as well as markings over her eyes and a dark shade of purple lipstick. She wore the standard outfit of a Konoha jonin, consisting of an olive green flak jacket and a black suit underneath with the sleeves rolled up and bandages around her legs.

Standing next to her was an equally intimidating ninja-hound. The dog was wolfish in appearance and was missing its left ear. It also wore an eyepatch over its right eye.

"But mother!" Hana yelled in objection. "He deserves it. He hurt one of our own."

"I know," the mother growled, glaring murder in Sasuke's direction. "But this is not the way to deal with it. Besides, you have no right to fight on your brother's behalf. It's his honor that is at stake, not yours."

Hana made to speak again, but she was silenced with another intimidating glare from her alpha-mother. She lowered her head in frustration and called off her dogs. She turned to leave, but not before giving Sasuke another glare. A glare that he returned. And with that, she was gone.

"You think just because you suffered a tragedy it justifies your behavior?" Tsume asked Sasuke, who was surprised to be addressed by the woman. He'd half expected her to leave with her daughter.

He just walked by her, ignoring her completely. He had to get home, it was getting late.

 **~Break~**

'This morning sucks,' Sakura thought to herself. She had just woken up at the crack of dawn and was making her way towards the training grounds.

Yesterday her new sensei had told her equally new team that they weren't quite genin yet and that they had to perform a survival examination the next morning.

In her dreams, she had thought that being on a team with Sasuke would be her first step towards love. However, even now that they were teammates, he still wouldn't so much as glance in her direction.

Upon thinking about her crush, she couldn't help but think back on the day he had nearly scared her to death. Seeing him brutally beat down Kiba in that spar was one of the most terrifying things she had ever seen. The look in his eyes, it was as if he had been possessed by a demon.

However, it hadn't, even for a moment, deterred her love of him. Nobody was perfect, even him.

 **~Break~**

Team 7 had been waiting at the training ground for roughly 3 hours after they were told they needed to arrive. This was ridiculous, weren't jonin supposed to carry themselves as professionals? So far, their gray-haired sensei had done nothing to prove that he was anything special.

Mito was almost thinking about leaving. It wasn't like she was an incredibly busy person, but this seemed like a waste of her time. However, before she could even think about moving a blur appeared in the center of the clearing.

Frankly, they were all impressed by their sensei's speed. However, upon noticing his disheveled appearance, any and all admiration went out the window.

"Alright, alright," the masked jonin said. "It seems that it's time to get started." He had been watching them for the past 20 minutes. He wanted to see how they acted when nobody was watching. And honestly, minus the occasional attempt of Sakura trying to talk to Sasuke, they were pretty quiet. How boring.

He pulled a pair of bells from his pouch. Reveling in the looks of confusion on the young academy student's faces. "As you can see, I have two bells in my hand. They're kind of cool, right?"

His students were unimpressed.

"Tough crowd," Kakashi mumbled under his breath. "Alright! The goal of this exercise is to take one of these bells from me."

His three students perked up at hearing that. However, after hearing his declaration, they were all confused.

"Sensei?" Sakura asked in trepidation. "There are only two bells, and yet, there are three of us."

"Very impressive, Sakura, you can count," Kakashi said. "However, as complicated as that might have been, it wasn't part of the test. So no points for you."

He found a disturbing amount of pleasure at seeing the pink haired girl's angry expression. However, he quickly noticed the red headed Uzumaki girl snickering.

"What are you laughing at, Tomato?" he asked. And immediately she grew silent, perhaps embarrassed at having been caught.

"Alright, as stimulating as this conversation has been, let's move on," the gray-haired jonin said. "Since there are two bells, it means that only two of you will pass, and the other will be going back to the academy."

The eyes of each of his three students widened in shock. Yes, even Sasuke's. What a creepily dull kid.

"You'll need to come at me with the intent to kill if you wish to succeed," Kakashi added. "You have until lunch. Oh! I almost forgot. The one who fails will be tied to one of those three stumps. And they'll have to watch everyone else eat. However, if you all fail, you'll all be tied to the stumps. And you'll have to watch me eat."

As their sensei said this, their stomachs growled. So that was why he'd asked them to skip breakfast? What an asshole.

"Your time begins now. Start!" the jonin said. As soon as he said this, his students jumped from the clearing, into the trees.

'Hmm,' he thought, 'Perhaps they're not as hopeless as I thought.'

 **~Break~**

Sasuke was perched in a tree, quietly observing his sensei. Was this man for real? He was openly reading an acclaimed erotic novel, occasionally perversely giggling.

He saw this as his chance, and drew two handfuls of shuriken and launched them at his sensei's unguarded back. However, when they hit, he was shocked to see a wooden log in place of the masked jonin.

'A substitution,' he urgently thought to himself. He immediately made a beeline towards another section of the wooded area. He had given up his position with his previous attack. Perhaps this jonin wasn't as incompetent as he appeared.

 **~Break~**

Mito, too, was waiting on a tree branch. She had been shocked when she saw the group of shuriken impale the gray-haired jonin's body. However, she soon noticed the log that was left in his place. It would have been sad for a jonin, one of the village's elite, to die in such an embarrassing way.

She quickly looked about the woods, attempting to locate her sensei's position. Suddenly, she was forced to jump when a group of kunai landed where she had been seated.

He was still reading that stupid book. But Mito wouldn't let her disgust effect her ability to think clearly. Anyone who could be irritated by the reading habits of another person was oversensitive.

She drew a kunai from her pouch and put it in front of her in a defensive position. However, when she noticed that he was refusing to move, she made to attack.

She was fast, faster than the anyone in her class, except Sasuke. As she went to stab her sensei in his face, he effortlessly dodged. She followed up the attempt with a slash towards his abdomen.

However, before she could even blink she was knocked into the center of the clearing.

 **~Break~**

Sakura was nervous. How could she be the one to pass? She wasn't stupid, she knew Mito's ranking in the class wasn't an accurate depiction of her abilities. And Sasuke? Succeeding in something that he was unable to do seemed as likely as someone launching the moon towards the earth.

However, she was soon taken out of her thoughts when she saw the red headed Uzumaki launched into the center of the clearing. Should she help?

Before she even considered her options, she jumped into the clearing, standing at Mito's side. "Come on," the pink haired Academy student said. "We need to hide."

The girl looked up at her in appreciation. It made her feel really good inside. A part of her said that helping Mito would be foolish. But the beautiful look of gratitude on her teammate's face was well worth the risk.

She placed the Uzumaki's arm over her shoulder and jumped back into the trees.

 **~Break~**

Sasuke was stealthily traversing the wooded area. He hadn't seen his sensei since the exercise had begun.

It was times like this that made him wish he had unlocked his Sharingan. Locating the masked jonin would be so much easier.

However, as if luck was on his side, Kakashi appeared before him. The unruly bastard was still reading his book. He'd fix that right away.

He weaved through various hand signs and smirked when he saw his sensei's lone eye widen in surprise.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," he said. Immediately after, a giant fireball careened towards it's intended target.

When the smoke from the attack faded away, there was nothing left. That was odd, the fireball jutsu was powerful, but it wasn't hot enough to burn a person to ashes. He quickly noticed the hole in the ground where he sensei was once standing. The Uchiha survivor jumped into the air as two hands popped out of the ground and reached for his ankles.

Midair, he formed another set of hand signs and launched another fireball down towards the two appendages.

After the attack had hit, he landed a few feet away. This time wary of any attack from any direction. Left, right, below, or above, he'd be ready.

Much to his surprise, he found the jonin standing in the aftermath of the inferno, completely unharmed. He narrowed his eyes in frustration. 'Okay,' he admitted. 'This guy is definitely no joke.'

"Wow," the jonin said. "That was kind of hot." The Uchiha gritted his teeth upon hearing the obvious taunt.

The jonin looked up from his book at the Uchiha. "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there. I was talking about this particular chapter in my book. It's pretty hot stuff."

The smug look soon left the jonin's face. And shockingly, Kakashi pocketed his perverted novel and said, "Alright, jokes aside, it seems like I'll have to give you a bit more of my attention."

The Uchiha smirked, his blood boiling for a good fight.

 **~Break~**

Two hours had passed, and it was nearly time for the drill to end. Mito didn't know how Sasuke was doing, but it couldn't have been much better than her and Sakura.

They had several encounters with the masked jonin after teaming up. All of which resulted in either pain of humiliation.

She was tired, and she and Sakura were walking through the woods, looking for Sasuke. They'd need him if they had any hope of victory.

However, she was soon shocked to see Sasuke's prone from on the ground, with a figure sitting on his back. The Uchiha heir was leaking blood and looked to be in bad shape, if not dead.

However, what shocked her the most was the identity of the figure. It was her brother, looking as polite as ever. But in the current circumstances, it only served to creep her out.

"Hello, sister," he greeted in a voice that she hadn't heard in years.

"Naruto! What are you doing here?! Where have you been?! And what have you done to Sasuke?!" she all but demanded. She absentmindedly noticed that Sakura was no longer in the clearing with her. It was strange.

"Why can't you remember?" he asked, ignoring her question entirely. "Why can't you remember, Mito?"

"Remember what?" She asked, confused. However, as soon as she made her inquiry the scenery changed.

 _She was no longer in the woods and found that she was in a dark room. Looking right at her was a perfect copy of her younger self._

 _The copy was wearing a white kimono, and her long red hair flowed down her back._

 _She looked down at her own appearance she noticed that she was wearing the same outfit. It seemed she was once again in her younger form._

 _The copy was holding a children's book in her hands. However, she was unable to make out what it was._

" _Welcome home," the copy said._

She was suddenly brought back to reality. Her eyes opened to see Sakura and Sasuke kneeling in front of her. What had happened?

"Are you okay, Mito?" Sakura asked, very concerned for her teammate.

"Yeah, what happened?" Mito groaned. She absentmindedly noticed the back of her head hurt.

"You fell for one of Kakashi's genjutsu," Sasuke said. "They're a pain, I've had to deal with several of them myself. But you suddenly screamed and then fell and hit your head. You were unconscious for a few minutes. From what I can tell, the pain from the fall extinguished the genjutsu."

'What?' she thought to herself. Did that mean the second part of her vision wasn't caused by genjutsu? Was it another one of those strange dreams?

"I've studied genjutsu a lot," Sasuke said. "You were put under an advanced version of the Hell Viewing Technique. It makes the victim experience their greatest fears."

Sakura looked at Sasuke in admiration. This was the most she had ever heard him say before. What a day this had been!

"How much time do we have left?" Mito asked, concerned for herself and her team.

As soon as she asked, a shrill ringing sound bounced around the training ground. She looked down in dismay. They had failed. Not a single one of them managed to get a bell.

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared before the three would-be genins. He looked infuriated.

"I can't believe it, I expected a better performance from all of you." he said, obviously disappointed.

The three twelve-year-olds looked down in shame. They were probably even more disappointed than the masked man was.

"You!" he began, in a tone that made them cringe. For some odd reason, the sky filled with clouds. Only serving to make him even more terrifying.

"Pass," he finished in a much more pleasant tone. The clouds immediately cleared and rays of sunshine could be seen.

"What?" Sakura asked, clearly surprised. "But none of us managed to get a bell."

"It doesn't matter, that wasn't the actual objective of the test," Kakashi said, sounding mildly pleased.

The three genin were dumbfounded. They had been chasing after those infernal bells for what felt like days, and it was for nothing?

"The objective of the test was something more important than any jutsu," Kakashi continued.

Mito, Sasuke, and Sakura practically leaned forward in anticipation. If that was the case, what was this critical objective?

"The objective was," the masked jonin said. "Teamwork."

They all blinked in confusion. They never would have guessed that the test had a secret meaning behind it. But thinking back on it now, it made sense.

The bells had been a ploy to attempt to divide them. It was actually brilliant, now that they thought about it.

"If comrades that you trust gather around you, hope can take physical form and become visible. That`s what I believe," the gray-haired jonin said.

"Often times as shinobi, you will find yourselves transfixed with the rules and the mission. But there is something that you should do well to never forget" he continued.

"You see that stone over there?" he asked pointing at an odd, black kunai like structure. It was clearly a statue of some kind. "That's the Memorial Stone on it are the names of some of the greatest shinobi in the history of this village."

"Really?" Mito asked. "What does a person need to do to get their name put on that stone?"

"Everyone on the stone has one thing in common" the masked jonin said. "They have all died in the service of this village."

This piece of information took the wind out of the genin's sails.

"In the shinobi world, those that break the written and unwritten rules are deemed trash. But, be that as it may, those that would disregard their comrades so easily are even worse than trash. And those who don't have the decency to respect the memories of their comrades are the worst." Kakashi said the most serious they had ever heard him.

They were shocked at his words. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all?

 **~Break~**

It had been three weeks since they had passed the survival test, and Team 7 had been forced to do tedious D-Rank missions ever since. They could hardly be called missions, they were more like chores.

What made it worse was that Kakashi wouldn't help at all. He'd spend the entire time reading his stupid book. He may have earned their respect after his words in front of the Memorial Stone, but he was still annoying.

It was early in the morning, and Team 7 found themselves standing in front of the Mission Assignment Room located in the Academy. Perhaps today they'd finally be issued a challenge?

"Well," the Third Hokage said after seeing them enter. "It seems Team 7 is here bright and early today. So what will it be Kakashi? Weed pulling, dog walking, or perhaps fence painting?"

"Hmm," the masked jonin contemplated. "Why not all of the missions? They sound like so much fun."

"If I may interject," Mito stated, getting everyone's attention. "I understand the necessity of such missions. But would it be possible for us to get something a little more stimulating?"

The Hokage looked at her for several moments, and finally, he spoke. "Well, I suppose I could give you a D-Rank that requires you to leave the village? How about that Kakashi?"

"Sounds fine to me," Kakashi said. His team wondered if he'd accept anything proposed by the elderly Hokage. "What does the mission entail?"

"It's rather simple. It requires you to help load cargo on a ship that will be crossing a large river in eastern Fire Country," the Old Man responded. "Afterwards, you will accompany the occupants of the vessel and help unload the cargo once the destination is reached."

After he said that, someone knocked on the door behind him. The figure entered, dressed like someone who definitely worked in manual labor.

"This is your client," the Hokage said. "Make sure to treat him well."

They all glanced back, and their client gave them a slight bow.

 **~Break~**

It was backbreaking work. Most of the cargo the three genins were forced to load onto the ship was really heavy. It made them respect the people that had to work such a job every day.

At this point in the mission, they had finally set sail towards their destination. The ship Team 7 was occupying wasn't very aesthetically pleasing, but to the young genin, it was still impressive. None of them had ever seen a ship before, or such a large body of water for that matter.

Before they could even comment on the vast water, a dense fog began to spread, blocking their vision.

Kakashi narrowed his single eye in suspicion. He lifted his slanted headband and revealed a hidden, three tomoe Sharingan eye. He immediately was able to see that the fog was loaded with chakra, showing that it was definitely not natural.

"Team," Kakashi said, after covering his Sharingan. After he had gotten their attention, he continued. "Prepare for a fight."

The three genin tensed, Sakura looked particularly nervous. Sasuke had his regular aloof expression; however, there was an anxious edge to it, and Mito looked like she was preparing for an unpleasant experience. All in all, Kakashi was feeling pretty good about it.

As he made that thought something strange appeared in the distance. It was a small, flaming, boat. Kakashi's experience told him that it was a diversion. He looked over to the other side of the ship and saw that he was correct, as it was being boarded by many rough looking individuals.

Kakashi hadn't seen such bloodthirsty expressions since that last war. These people were clearly insane, but he sensed almost no chakra from them, so at least they weren't shinobi.

"Sakura, protect the passengers. Mito, Sasuke, you're with me," he ordered.

The battle was pretty lopsided considering it was three shinobi versus a bunch of armed pirates. Sasuke was doing particularly well, having taken down multiple opponents so far, without any real issues.

Mito was also very impressive. Her fighting style was not as refined as Sasuke's, but it was almost as effective. Her strikes were powerful, and her body was flexible, giving her a wide range of attack motion. The way her long red ponytail moved about during combat was mesmerizing to the crew that was watching.

However, Kakashi soon felt a dangerous presence behind him and had to block a sword slash that was intended to decapitate him. He got a good look at his opponent and immediately knew who it was. It was Suto Yuji, a B-ranked missing-nin from Kirigakure. The man's face was riddled with scars, showing Kakashi that he had likely experienced many battles in the past.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan," Suto said. "It is an honor to meet a shinobi as renowned as you."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes upon hearing the scarred man speak. 'Kakashi of the Sharingan?' What was this nonsense? A non-Uchiha bearing such a title was ludicrous in Sasuke's opinion.

"I won't need it to deal with you," Kakashi said, not looking the least bit intimidated. He'd dealt with worse before.

Before the fight could begin, however, Suto raised his right hand in the air, signaling for retreat. "We'll meet again, Hatake, don't you doubt it."

Kakashi was happy the battle hadn't escalated any further. Regardless of his superior skills, Kakashi wasn't too keen on fighting a former Mist shinobi on such a large body of water. He was also happy for his student's sake. They could only handle so much in one day.

He looked at his squad and noticed that Sakura had captured one of the pirates. The pink haired girl surprised him with her usefulness. Under her protection, none of the crew had been harmed. And she captured an enemy too? It was impressive, to say the least.

The rest of the trip went off without a hitch. Once they reached the mainland, however, Kakashi would need to have some words with their new 'friend.'

 **~Break~**

Team 7 was standing before their prisoner. They had arrived on the mainland several minutes ago, and they immediately tied the pirate to a tree.

The pirate awoke from his slumber with a start and immediately dreaded his position. Standing before him were the four freaks that dealt with him and his comrades like they were nothing. And he was captured? Suto was going to murder him for such incompetence.

"Well," the leader of Team 7 said with an eye smile. "Looks who's awake!"

"What the hell do you want?!" the pirate demanded. He was trying to appear unafraid, but truthfully he was terrified. The black haired kid to the left was giving him a very intimidating glare.

"I'd like for the two of us to get to know each other a little bit," the masked jonin said. "How about you go first. What was the reason for you attacking our ship? These waters aren't known for piracy."

"If I tell you, will you let me go?" the captive practically begged. The scoundrel valued his life more than his honor.

"It won't hurt your chances," Kakashi chirped, making another creepy eye smile.

"Okay, okay. We were paid to do it. I don't know who it is! None of us do, not even Suto. The payments and instructions were left anonymously."

"What were the instructions?" Kakashi asked.

"Whoever it was, wanted us to murder and ransack any ship that went through these waters. Before all this, we weren't so violent! We were just ordinary pirates, stealing cargo and leaving survivors." the pirate exclaimed.

"Do you have any idea as to who it might have been?" Kakashi asked, demonstrating his impressive patience.

"No clue. But Suto is pretty sure that it's that shipping tycoon in Wave Country, Gato. Apparently, he and the officials of this port have been rivals for quite some time. The boss thinks Gato is trying to hurt his competitor's business. Personally, I agree with him. The amount of money we received for this job was huge. Only someone like him could have paid that much."

"Hm, thanks for the info, bud," Kakashi said, before knocking the prisoner out once more. They'd bring him to the local authorities after this.

 **~Break~**

After dropping off the scumbag, Team 7 was seated in the office of the port's head officials. It was a very pristine and well-kept room. Each of the shinobi were given comfortable seats in front of the three desks of the people they were speaking to.

The man on the left was a rather stout individual. He wore a nice gray suit and had slicked back brown hair with rosy cheeks. All in all, he looked like a very jolly person. Out of the three occupants in the office to greet them, he was the most sincere. His name was Akiyama Kei.

The person on the right was actually a female. She appeared to be in her late thirties and was very good looking. She was thin, with light blonde hair that she kept in a ponytail. To top it off, she wore an expensive looking pantsuit. Her name was Mai Hanako.

The man seated in the center, clearly the one in charge. Was a stern looking man. Much like his partners, he wore an expensive suit. He had a bald head, but it only seemed to add to his intimidating presence. He was actually someone Kakashi had heard about before. His name was Suzuki Okakura.

"So," Suzuki began. "I hear that you have identified the individuals responsible for the atrocious murders."

"Yes, they are a group of pirates led by the B-Ranked missing-nin, Suto Yuji," Kakashi responded. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you didn't warn the incoming ships about the danger? I heard there have been four so far that have been wiped out."

"We didn't want to cause a panic," Mai answered eloquently. "We believed that we could handle it without having to cause a ruckus. It seems we underestimated our enemy."

Mito clenched her hands upon hearing this. Hundreds of people had died because they didn't want to cause a ruckus? That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

Before she could express her indignation, someone else spoke, "It seems to me that you were just too worried about losing money."

Everyone in the room turned towards Sasuke, surprised to hear him speak. Before now, he was the only person in the room who had yet to say anything.

"You should watch what you say, boy," the female official warned. "You shouldn't speak on things you know nothing about."

"I may not know much about shipping, but I do know a lot about selfish actions that cause destruction for others," the young Uchiha retorted, having had experience with Itachi, who killed their entire clan to 'test the limits of his ability.' If that wasn't selfishness, then he didn't know what was.

"Kakashi-san," Suzuki interrupted before things could escalate any further. "Did you learn anything else of value?"

"Not quite yet," Kakashi responded. "However, I'd like to take a look at the lists of those killed, if you don't mind."

Kakashi was getting one of those feelings. The feelings he got when something was more than it seemed.

"Of course not, we don't mind at all," Suzuki said. He called his secretary over and asked the young man to retrieve the file and to bring it here at once.

When he laid his lone eye upon the document, he read through it with practiced efficiency. Most of those killed had been either the crews of the ship and civilian passengers. However, one name, in particular, caught his eye.

Mura Ichiyo. It was one of the few names that he found in association with Orphanage 8. For a time, he was the head of the Fire Country's Ministry of Health. A highly respected position within the government. But for whatever reason, he recently went missing. Kakashi searched high and low for the man and could not find him. So the man had been attempting to flee by boat? It seemed his instincts were correct, something was amiss here.

"I notice that something has caught your eye, friend," Akiyama said in a happy tone. "Would you be willing to share it with the rest of us?"

"Through information, I have gathered thus far, I am still unable to find the identity of the one responsible. However, I can make some sense of these murders." Kakashi said.

"Well," Mai began. "Get on with it." She was obviously still irritated with Sasuke's previous comments.

"Whoever paid the pirates to attack these ships only had one particular target in mind," Kakashi said. "In fact, it wasn't even a ship, it was a single person. The rest of the attacks were ordered to hide the orchestrator's real goal. It's like the person he wanted dead was a needle and he hid it among a haystack. In this case, the haystack is the other 103 murders."

"Who would kill one hundred and three people just to hide the motives of a single murder? It seems a little extreme to me." Akiyama asked, clearly disturbed by the news.

"That doesn't matter right now," Suzuki said. "We need to deal with these pirates now before they kill anyone else."

"We'll take care of that, Suzuki-san," Kakashi said. "However, we'll expect the payment for a full B-Rank mission to be sent to Konoha after our success."

Suzuki looked at both of his partners, and they all agreed. He nodded in Kakashi's direction, letting him know that his request would be met.

 **~Break~**

It was nearing evening, and Team 7 was perched in the trees, staring at the enemy encampment. Even though they had incapacitated several of the enemies in the previous battle, there were still many remaining.

As they stealthily approached the camp, they got more and more confident. Their targets were drunk, and most of them were barely able to stand. The only exception was Suto, who looked very paranoid as if he were hiding from some kind of demon.

When Team 7 attacked, it became utter chaos. The fight was even easier than the previous one. However, surprisingly, Suto had no interest in fighting and immediately fled. He had never run so fast in his life. Every once in while he would look over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed.

Once he was a few miles away, he began to slow down. He wasn't a sensory type, but he was certain that he hadn't been followed.

He needed to get out of this hellhole. Not because he was afraid of the Konoha team, Hatake was strong, but not nearly terrifying enough to scare him. No, several of his high-ranking subordinates were going missing, and they all turned up dead. What was going on? And why had he been introduced to this nightmare? He didn't care about the money anymore. No amount of money was worth experiencing this fear.

He landed in a clearing and finally allowed himself to have a break. His hands were gripping his knees tightly, and he was bent over, breathing as hard as he'd ever had before. However, he looked up and saw something that shocked him.

About ten feet in front of him stood a blond boy, likely no older than the children on Hatake's team. He was wearing a loose-fitting, light blue kimono shirt that was tied with a thick dark-brown Ono-stylised belt. It was topped off with a pair of black Anbu style pants with black shin high sandals.

What caught Suto's attention the most, however, was his face. It was beautiful, without a single mark or blemish. His blonde hair framed his face but didn't impair his vision. All in all, with the moonlight shining directly on him, he looked like some kind of angel.

"Who the hell are you?" Suto asked, not particularly afraid of a twelve-year-old boy.

"I expected better from you Suto-san," Naruto said in his typical, serene, tone of voice. "With all the money I paid you, I had hoped you'd last a little longer."

Suto's eyes widened in shock. No way, this kid was the one who was paying them this whole time? He thought it was Gato.

"Bullshit," Suto exclaimed. "No way a kid like you could get their hands on that kind of cash."

Naruto didn't seem to register what the man said. He just maintained his relaxed posture and polite expression.

"Will you help me once more, Suto-san?" the blonde boy asked. "Will you give me a hand with something beautiful?"

The missing-nin from Kirigakure began to feel his body getting tired. His vision was getting blurry, and his knees were about to give out on him. 'Genjutsu?' he thought to himself as he collapsed to the ground.

The boy hovered above him faster than he could even blink. The last thing he saw was the child's half-lidded gaze. Afterwards, he felt a mark of some sort being written on his forehead. Then he lost consciousness.

 **~Break~**

Back in the office of the Port Officials, there was a rather large gathering of local authorities. The Team of Konoha Shinobi had left a few minutes ago. Suzuki was surprised at the way a team of four managed to manhandle roughly 40 armed pirates. The only issue now was that they were running out of places to put the charged criminals.

However, the subject of today's meeting wasn't to discuss such small fry. No, kneeling before the three desks was the missing-nin Suto Yuji. He had been found unconscious in the woods a few miles from his encampment. Apparently, he had cowardly retreated from the battle.

"Suto-san," Suzuki said. "Before you are sentenced to death, I must ask you, who was giving you the orders?"

The rogue shinobi muttered something under his breath, which none of the occupants could hear. This trembling man was in stark contrast to what they had expected when they ordered him to be sent here.

"Speak up, fool," Mai ordered, having little patience for this piece of trash.

"I-It was…." Suto said though the remainder of his response was unintelligible.

One of the supervising officers placed his sword on Suto's neck and ordered him to speak up.

"I-It was," Suto finally was able to say. "A m-monster."

Everyone in the room raised their eyebrows at his statement. A monster? How absurd.

"Do you really expect us to belie-" Mai began, but was cut off when she saw a glowing symbol appear on Suto's forehead.

Nobody could make out what it was, but it was defiantly some form of Kanji. However, before they could demand what was going on something terrifying happened.

Out of nowhere, hundreds of paper bombs began launching out of the symbol. They stuck to ever inch of the room and even landed on the majority of occupants.

Before anyone could vocalize their disbelief, the tags began to sizzle as if they had been set on fire. They last thing they saw was an intense flash of light before it was all over.

 **~Break~**

The citizens of the port city were shocked at what they were seeing. The headquarters of the local government had just been blown sky high. The landscape shook as if there had been an earthquake.

Even further away, in the nearby lake, the explosion could still be seen.

Team 7 was shocked at what they had just saw. Even Kakashi, with his decades of experience, could hardly fathom what they just witnessed. They had just been in that building 20 minutes ago.

As they continued on their way to Konoha, they had one thought in their minds. This was the craziest D-Rank mission of all time.

 **~End~**


	4. Chapter Four

**The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Four**

 _All she could hear was the soft pitter-patter of rain hitting the rooftop. For her, it was a soothing experience. She needed all the help she could get while trying to fall asleep. She had been struggling to do so lately, and it only added to her melancholy._

 _She looked over at her brother's bed and noticed that he was missing. 'Where could he be?' she wondered._

 _Mito made her way out of the sleeping quarters and checked all throughout the orphanage, but she could not find Naruto anywhere. She was beginning to get worried about him. Lately, he hadn't been talking much, and it made her anxious. He was her only family in th_ _e whole world. He_ _was_ _her whole world._

 _Finally, she made her place towards the only area she hadn't yet checked. Checking the roof felt like an idiotic idea, but she needed to find her brother. Going outside to check in the woods was her worst case scenario, she just hoped that he was on top of the orphanage and not in the forest. There were monsters out there._

 _When she opened the doorway to the rooftop, she didn't know what to expect. However, what she saw confused her. There was her brother, standing on the edge of the roof, soaking wet from the rain. His feet were halfway off of the edge, and he was staring up at the sky. From what she could see, he had almost no expression on his face. Almost that is, there was a small, yet definite, hint of sadness and misery there._

 _He turned towards her and looked directly into her eyes. His eyes were glowing a bright blue, and she didn't know whether to be amazed or afraid. However, his expression made her want to cry. He looked miserable._

" _Mito," he said in a low voice. "Mito, what is my name?"_

 _It was a bizarre question. What was his name? Why was he being such a dummy? His name was Naruto, it was always Naruto, and it would always be Naruto._

" _Your name is Naruto, silly," Mito told him. "How could you have forgotten?"_

 _His eyes widened slightly when he heard her answer. His overall demeanor changed slightly. His shoulders sagged in what looked like utter relief, and he went back to gazing at the sky._

 _"I am Naruto," he stated as if trying to convince himself. The relief at hearing his name come off his tongue was evident on his face. "Thank you, Mito."_

 _She couldn't tell, but she thought she noticed something strange._

 _It had to be the rain, right? Her big brother would never cry like that._

 **~Break~**

Mito slowly opened her eyes after waking up from her slumber. The days of her waking up in fear at her strange dreams were over. She rarely had them, but when she did, they were very impactful. Didn't most children dream about fun dreamlands or something?

She sat up and looked over at her alarm clock. It was 9:00 AM, compared to her routine she had slept in. It had been several months since their mission with the pirates. Kakashi-sensei had given them the week off; he wanted to allow them some time to train and think about whether or not they were ready for the Chunin Exams. It was moments like these that made her appreciate Kakashi-sensei. He tried to act aloof all the time, but it was clear that he cared about them very much.

She didn't miss the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention. The looks always centered around guilt or reminiscence. She wondered why he was so g? Regardless, Mito was a forgiving person so she would be quick to forgive him for almost any transgression. To her, forgiveness wasn't a weakness; it was a strength.

She quickly got up and went into her bathroom. Upon looking in the mirror, she couldn't help but remember the dream she had experienced during the survival examination. Why had she been looking at a perfect image of herself? Did it represent some greater meaning that she had yet to understand?

She quickly hopped in the shower and completed her business. Afterward, she brushed her teeth and hair, before putting her crimson locks into a ponytail. She looked in the mirror once more and felt satisfaction. She wasn't arrogant by any means, but she knew she was an attractive person. She and her brother had that trait in common.

When thinking back on her brother, she frowned. Her previous dream was a strange one. Now that she was older and able to comprehend what was going on better, she had a clearer understanding of the dream than her younger self would have. To her, it looked like her brother was as miserable as anyone could be. How on earth could a person not know their name?

Thinking back on that piece of information led her to believe that it was a dream and not a memory. The idea that someone could forget their name was too ridiculous to occur in the real world. But why was her mind creating all of these sad memories? Had she been internalizing her sadness for so long that it had begun finding refuge in her dreams?

While she was thinking that, she heard a voice calling for her downstairs. It was her mother, inviting her to breakfast. She loved her parents. In the beginning, she addressed them by their first names, too scared to make a connection with them. However, it didn't take long for her to begin addressing them for what they were. They were her parents, to her, the lack of blood relation didn't matter.

She walked down the stairs and sat at the table. Her father looked up from his newspaper and smiled at her. "Hey there sweetie, how has your morning been?" he asked.

"It's been fine, Dad," she answered with a smile. Not missing the way his smile widened upon hearing the way she addressed him. She couldn't have asked for better parents. She had no idea where she'd be right now without them. Probably eating breakfast alone in her depressing little apartment. That would suck.

 **~Break~**

Sasuke was eating breakfast alone in his depressing apartment. If he had to recall one thing he missed about having a family, it was sharing meals with them every morning. It served to remind him that after waking up, he'd have people he loved waiting for him.

However, now, he was all alone. Being a member of Team 7 made it better, there was no doubting that. But growing close to his teammates and becoming friends with them was only making him remember how close he had been with his family. Therefore, his friendship with Mito, Sakura, and even Kakashi was akin to a double-edged sword.

He checked to make sure he had everything on him before making his way over to his door. He had trained every day during Team 7's extended break; he wouldn't become complacent. To him, a day of sitting around and relaxing was a day wasted. His extreme work ethic had stuck with him throughout his childhood and remained til' this very day.

He opened his door but noticed a figure who was just about to knock. It was Mito, and she had a surprised and sheepish look on her face.

"What are you doing here?" the Uchiha asked, trying not to seem rude. "We don't have a team meeting or something, do we?"

"Nope!" the redheaded Uzumaki chirped. "I came to see if you wanted to do something today."

Her expression was even brighter than the sun that was just behind her. She was like a walking antidepressant for him. It made him think about what he had ever done for her? Other than visiting her at the hospital a year ago, he couldn't think of anything. He decided that he'd throw the excited girl a bone.

"I was about to go train, you can come with me if you want," he offered. This was very unlike him, but he supposed it was progress. Had he not just been complaining about his loneliness? Maybe this would be good for him. Besides, it would be good for them to get some training in. Kakashi had told them that the Chunin Exams would be held soon. Sasuke wanted to be ready.

Mito nodded her head with excitement. Glad to have been invited. "Sure, I'm always down for some training!"

Sasuke nodded his head and walked towards the training ground, with his teammate in tow.

He would train. He would become a chunin. And he would kill his brother.

 **~Break~**

Itachi was walking along a desolate path with his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki, at his side. They had recently taken on a mission that required them to secure a target. Such missions were Itachi's favorite, as they typically involved the least amount of killing. Unlike his shark skinned partner, he didn't fancy murder.

As they continued walking, they made it to a small village that looked like it had been all but abandoned. Apparently, the target was somewhere close. She was described as being a small black haired girl, roughly twelve to thirteen years of age.

"You think this brat will put up a fight, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked. "I hope that she does. I've been feeling a little bored lately."

Itachi almost rolled his eyes at his partner's words. He used to wonder if Kisame acted that way to be funny, or if he really was that thirsty for battle. But after seeing the man massacre an entire group of Kirigakure Hunter-nin, he found his answer.

The closer they got to the village the more suspicious Itachi became. The buildings looked perfectly fine as if they had been cared for recently, but there wasn't a person in sight. That was at least until they saw her.

She was standing in the middle of the street, with a plain white dress and no shoes. Her face reminded Itachi of one of Danzo's Root Anbu, and she seemed very fixated on the two Akatsuki members. Regardless, she fit the description. Under five feet tall with long black hair and equally black eyes. Her body was covered in dirt as if she hadn't bathed in a while.

"Have you seen him?" she suddenly asked, much to Itachi's confusion. "I've been looking for him."

"Oh, and who might that be, little girl?" Kisame asked with a vicious grin on his face. Generally, anyone would be intimidated by such a look, but not the girl. She didn't even bat an eyelash.

"I'm looking for Angel-sama," she said. "He was here, I can feel it. None of these people would tell me anything though."

Itachi looked down and saw what looked to be several piles of ashes. Next to some of these piles was the occasional sword or club. It was easy to figure out what had happened. Especially, for someone as intelligent as he was. He wasn't sure how, but this young girl had wiped out this entire village.

"I want to hear his voice again," she continued, slightly creeping Kisame out. "It's like listening to the voice of God. Nothing can compare to his infinite wisdom."

"It appears as though this girl is off her knockers, Itachi-san," Kisame said. Before grinning with excitement. "I suppose I'll take her now."

The shark-like man heaved his massive blade from his back and slowly approached the girl. It seemed like he was going to try and toy with her. Itachi almost shook his head at his partner's actions. Not matter who it was, you're never supposed to underestimate an enemy, ever.

However, before the former Seven Shinobi Swordsman could get close, a dark aura began to manifest around the girl. If Itachi had to describe it, he'd say it looked a little like the Iron Sand technique, except it had a purple tint to it. Whatever it was, it reeked of death. They'd have to be very careful with how they approached this situation.

The two Akatsuki members were forced to jump back when the dark cloud approached them at high speed. They had yet to see what it was capable of, but it was always best to assume the worst.

Itachi wanted to test out the capability of this girl's jutsu. So he summoned a shadow clone and had it charge towards her. Almost immediately, the dark cloud cut 'him' off and made contact. Immediately, 'his' body began to deteriorate into dust. However, before that could happen 'he' popped in a puff of smoke.

That told Itachi everything he needed to know. Whatever that cloud of chakra was it was deadly to the touch. He immediately coined it the Cloud of Death. However, he'd never let anybody know that. He had a reputation to uphold. Itachi Uchiha didn't spend his time admiring and naming the jutsu of others.

This wasn't the mission they had accepted. They were told they'd were to capture a little girl, not a dangerous psychopath. It seemed the man at the mission distribution center was trying to swindle them. That wouldn't do, they'd have to do something about that really soon.

"Kisame, such a fight wasn't in the mission description. We're leaving."

As they made to leave, the girl's widened to extraordinary levels. "You can't leave," she said, as her voice progressively raised in volume. "You can't leave, THEY ALWAYS LEAVE!"

The Cloud of Death formed into three dragon head-shaped projectiles. Each of them launched towards the two Akatsuki members at blinding speeds. For someone so young the versatility of her technique was amazing. "Kisame, take care of it," the Uchiha missing-nin said.

Kisame went through a series of hand signs and three water dragons formed behind him. They collided with her dragons, but they put up little resistance. It seemed the dark aura is especially effective against chakra and ninjutsu.

Upon realizing that a ninjutsu battle would take too long, Kisame used one of the most commonly used jutsu in Kirigakure. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu," he announced.

With the mist covering their escape, things would be much easier. They knew that if they had put in the effort, they would have utterly demolished the psychotic girl. Hell, it would have probably only taken one of them to claim victory, but this wasn't worth the trouble. Dealing with the mentally insane was always a bad idea. They were willing to take things to lengths that ordinary people weren't.

As she felt the two Akatsuki members leave the area, she allowed her chakra to calm down. The mist soon dissipated and she found herself alone once again. She would need to keep looking. Angel-sama would be able to guide her through this unforgiving world. She knew it.

 **~Break~**

Sasuke and Mito had been training for what felt like hours. The Uchiha prodigy was ecstatic to be fighting someone in his age group that actually challenged him. She had so much chakra, it was insane. There was no doubt that once she achieved her full potential, she'd be a monster.

After their spar, they began comparing their ninjutsu repertoires. Sasuke had the more vast array of ninjutsu, that was for sure. However, while Mito had less, she was able to use more jutsu in battle due to her massive chakra reserves. He wondered why her chakra pools were so large. Typically, female shinobi had lower chakra levels, this made them better at chakra control, genjutsu, and stealth. All valuable abilities for a shinobi.

Now, they were walking through the outskirts of the village. Mito appeared to be looking for something, whatever it was, Sasuke didn't know. They found a small dirt road and went where ever it would lead them. Eventually, they reached Mito's intended destination. It was the charred remains of Orphanage 8.

"What are we doing here?" Sasuke asked, clearly confused.

Mito was staring at the building with an extreme level of intensity. Did she have some sort of history with this place? He remembered the commotion two years ago when it had gone up in flames.

"My brother lived here, for a time," she responded. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. Mito had never mentioned her brother before. Everyone on Team 7 had assumed it was a taboo subject. However, suddenly Mito's eyes widened, and she began speaking again.

"I'm home," she said, her voice sounding strange like she was imitating a child. "Welcome home."

Sasuke looked at her face and noticed that her eyes were glazed over. What was going on? Was Mito trying to be funny or something? She soon began crying.

"I don't want to do any more of the lessons, mister," She cried. "They're really sad, and they've been making big bro act weird."

"Mito!" he shouted, very concerned. "Mito, snap out of it!"

Her body stiffened, and she looked over towards him. Her eyes were red, with catlike slits. Never before had he seen such a terrifying expression on her face. What the hell was this shit?

She lunged at him like a beast. Only his years of training allowed him to be able to dodge. She was so fast! Almost too fast for his eyes to track.

He'd need to figure out how to restrain her, preferably quickly.

 **~Break~**

 _Mito felt like she was walking through dark water. Her body was exhausted, yet, she couldn't remember why. She had several scratches on her arms, and her eyes were red from crying. She immediately found herself standing before Konoha Orphanage and approached the front door. Everyone else was at the park playing, but she knew her big bro wouldn't have left without her._

" _I'm home," she said as she opened the door. However, what greeted her wasn't her brother, it was a perfect copy of herself._

" _Welcome home," the copy said._

She immediately snapped out of the strange dream and found herself standing in a weird, sewer like area. What the hell was that? It was like the dream she had during the survival exercise, but with a little more context. However, she was more concerned about where she was right now. The last thing she remembered was standing in front of Orphanage 8 with Sasuke.

She began walking through the halls, hoping to find some way to escape. The pipes along the walls were vibrating, like too much water was flowing through them at once. Why was she always the victim of such strange mental phenomenon? Why couldn't she just be a normal kid, like everyone else?

It was moments like this that made her miss Naruto the most. He may not be the most sociable guy ever, but he was reliable, and smart too. Whenever a problem occurred when they were children, he was the one to solve it. He made some of the adults in the village look like incompetent idiots. Well, she supposed he made everyone look like that. He was so good at everything that it often felt like he was not of this world.

She soon had to stop as she was standing before a large cage door. She couldn't see what was inside, as it was too dark. But whatever it was, she didn't want to see it. She had always been afraid of monsters.

Much to her surprise, two huge red eyes with slitted pupils became visible from behind the cage. The last thing she saw was pearly white fangs as she was launched back by a mighty roar.

 **~Break~**

Sasuke was sweating heavily, never before had he fought such a powerful opponent. Kakashi was a different story, his skill and experience put him above almost all others. He didn't need immense power to be strong. But Mito, at least in this state, was powerful. Never before had he imagined that the Fireball Jutsu could be extinguished with a single roar. Was she even human?

He immediately shook his head. Of course, she was, she was the most human person he knew. The moment she became a monster would be the moment he'd lose faith in humanity. Hopefully, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. There had to be a logical explanation for all of this.

She charged him once more and as he dodged he received a scratch to his face. This was going nowhere, and eventually, he would lose stamina and be unable to avoid her lightning quick attacks. It was like fighting Kiba, except his opponent was faster, stronger, less irritating, and overall superior in every way.

As he saw her clawed hand near his face, he felt his vision slow down. What was this feeling? He had never fought with such clarity before in his life. Dodging her attacks became progressively easier and easier until she was unable to hit him. What was going on?

However, before things could get any worse, Mito fell to her knees and began panting. Sasuke noticed that her nails were no longer elongated, so he figured that whatever had been happening was now over.

"S-Sasuke," she spoke through her pants. "What happened?"

Sasuke frowned upon hearing her ask the question. She didn't know, so that meant she wasn't in control of her actions. Sasuke could have laid it to her the easy way, but that wasn't his style. He was certain that she'd appreciate his honesty anyway.

"You went berserk," he said, "Your eyes turned red, your nails elongated, and you didn't comprehend my words."

She looked as though she was going to say something, but then she looked at him in surprise. "Sasuke," she said. "Sasuke, your eyes!"

Sasuke frowned and removed his headband. He looked in the reflection of the metal and was shocked at what he saw looking back at him. It was the Sharingan, and he couldn't believe it. Both eyes had two tomoe, meaning he was one step away from achieving the final form. Well, if he didn't consider the eye Itachi told him about that dreaded evening.

But he had it. He finally had the Sharingan.

 **~Break~**

Naruto was walking down a large dirt road in Fire Country. He would pass the occasional merchant caravan or traveling family, but for the most part, he was alone. He had been very busy since he had killed Danzo. He had mostly been training, but he had also been getting involved in a lot of interesting activities. But he'd never tell.

Root had been pursuing him ever since he'd killed their leader. Torune was only the beginning, it seemed. He'd lost track of all the Root Anbu he had killed over the last year and a half. It felt like a lot. However, it only served to make him more powerful.

As he was walking, he felt an extraordinary presence approaching him from behind. He immediately halted in his tracks to see who it was. He was always a curious guy.

His curiosity was rewarded when a large cloud of black chakra approached him at an immense speed. He didn't move at all though, and it parted around him as if he was a stone in a stream. It began swirling around him in what could only be described as curiosity. He attempted to touch it, but it pulled away, as if afraid to hurt him.

"Angel-sama..." a voice said, catching his attention. It was a young girl with a white dress and black hair. He immediately recognized her. He had met her before.

"Angel-sama," she continued. "I have been looking for you for so long. Many people tried to stop me, but I dealt with them. It was like you said. Hatred is born when people gather together. You were right! I've seen it first hand."

She looked like someone who had just found water in the desert. Naruto could never understand her feelings of longing, but he supposed he could entertain her presence, at least if she was useful.

"Please, Angel-sama," she begged. "Can you please unlock one of my memories? I can't take it anymore, I don't know who I am. I can't even remember my own name."

He slowly approached her, all the while staring directly into her eyes. His eyes glowed a bright blue in what could only be described as a grand spectacle. The closer she got to her the wider her eyes grew. She had an enlightened expression on her face.

 _She was sitting in one of the most secure rooms of Orphanage 8. They had to lock her down with chakra suppressing seals. Otherwise, she could have killed them all. But she didn't want to kill them all! She just wanted to have some friends, that was all._

 _She was quickly dragged out of the room and brought into what was known as the fight chamber. Here, the orphans would be pitted against one another in one on one combat. However, this time, the room was loaded to the brim._

" _Listen up, my children!" the Head Supervisor, Takejiro bellowed. "This facility is becoming more and more packed with every day. Tragically, we don't have enough rooms to hold you all. So, a small group of you has been chosen for the thinning out process._

 _Everyone in the room knew what that meant. Most, if not all of them would die today. This made the black haired girl incredibly sad. Why was it that all of her life experiences had to be centered around violence?_

 _The fight began, and she chose to stand back and watch, preferring not to participate unless she was forced to. The savage children scared her as they brutally murdered one another, but it was nothing new. Such things shouldn't be normal for children so young. However, strangely, many of the children began working together and started attacking a lone figure._

 _It was a stunning sight. The figure was taking them out with brutal efficiency. Not a single move was wasted, his taijutsu was something out of a dream. His fighting style centered around anticipating the attacks of his opponents and then brutally countering. As she noticed that, he quickly chopped a boy in the windpipe._

 _Eventually, they were the only two left. The boy's gaze was intense and hypnotic, like some sort of supernatural being. Strangely enough, even with all the carnage, there wasn't a drop of blood anywhere on him. Was he even a real person? Or had her psyche created him so that she wouldn't be so lonely? It had done so before._

 _No, this boy was real. The supervisors were openly acknowledging his presence and clapping. When looking at him, she felt as though she wasn't_ _as empty inside. She had found someone to fill her void._

Before the vision could continue, it ended as quickly as it began. After the experience was over, she fell to her knees and breathed heavily. "T-Thank you, Angel-sama."

"That was the first time we met," she continued, stunned. "I had completely forgotten. I only ever remembered my devotion to you. I was never able to remember why though. Thank you so much."

He knelt before her and gently cupped her cheek. She was shocked when he began to tenderly caress it. She couldn't believe it, he was actually touching her. This was the greatest day of her life. For this instant, she didn't care that she had many large holes in her memories. She didn't care that she didn't have a name.

As if reading her mind, the blonde said serenely, "We'll have to give you a name. It will get rather tedious addressing you without one."

"You shall be called, Miyako," he said. Her eyes widened with surprise. Miyako meant 'beautiful night child.' Did he think she was beautiful? She immediately became self-conscious about her appearance. She was filthy and wearing a plain white dress that was clearly worn with age. She wasn't even wearing any shoes! In comparison, he was as angelic as ever. Why would someone as beautiful as this him give her such a name?

"But remember," he continued. "It isn't your real name. Your real name will be forever lost to you. However, names are unimportant."

She felt a little upset when he told her that it wasn't her real name, but was immediately happy when he told her that names didn't matter. If he said it, it had to be true.

'I was wrong about him," she thought to herself while looking into his beautiful cerulean eyes. He wasn't an angel. He was something more, something she couldn't immediately put her finger on. She soon found the perfect word to describe him.

He was a god.

 **~Break~**

Team 7 had just finished the First Stage of the Chunin Exams. It consisted of a written test with a strange twist to it with the goal of testing their resolve. The participants had been told that if they got the 10th question wrong, they wouldn't be able to take the Exams ever again. However, if they were to leave they would be allowed to retake the Exams in the future. Many people left, but those that stayed found that choosing not to leave was the right answer and that they had passed.

Now, they were standing before a rather imposing sight. The Forest of Death looked as though it lived up to its name pretty well. They had just received their Heaven scroll and were waiting for the test to begin. As they were waiting though, they were approached by a team from Kusagakure.

The two boys on the team had rather generic appearances. One had brown hair, and black eyes and the other had blonde hair and dull green eyes. It was the girl, who appeared to be the leader, that caught their attention. She had long black hair that flowed down her back. She was wearing tight black pants that seemed to connect to a pair of shinobi sandals. On top, she wore a long-sleeved purple shirt, with the sleeves extending beyond her hands quite a bit.

"Hi," she said in a cheerful tone. "My name is Miyako, what is yours?"

Sasuke didn't know why, but he was immediately suspicious of this girl. It wasn't because he was paranoid of all the competition, it was for another reason. Her face appeared to be very cheerful and kind, but the look didn't seem to reach her eyes. He had seen her eyeing up Mito when they were in the classroom during the First Stage. It was weird.

It was evident that she was addressing Mito, so the redhead responded. "Hello Miyako, my name is Mito, and this is Sakura and Sasuke. Would you like to introduce us to your teammates?"

The black haired girl looked a little too happy for Sasuke's liking. All he knew was that if she made a move in the forest, he wouldn't show any mercy.

"Their names aren't important, forget about them," the raven haired girl quickly said. "I'm more interested in learning about you."

Mito was beginning to get a little weirded out by the girl standing before her. She seemed to be a little lacking in social graces. It kind of reminded her of her brother, though the girl was significantly less charismatic. Her brother didn't need to be socially adept to be charismatic. His appearance and aura were enough to achieve such an effect on people.

Miyako was ecstatic. She had done it! She had completed the first step in her mission. Kami-sama had told her to enter the chunin exams under the guise of a Kusa-nin. That village was weak, so it was easy for her to kill the actual team that was marked as participants and steal their papers. Daichi-san helped her work out the technicalities. She didn't know who her two teammates were, all she knew was that they served Kami-sama as well. But they were merely pawns. Daichi-san told her that their lives weren't a priority. All she needed to do was keep them alive through the Second Stage, and then it didn't matter.

Before their conversation could continue a sound reverberated throughout the area. Signaling to the participants that they were about to begin.

The bubbly raven-haired girl said that they should meet again before walking towards her assigned gate. Deep down, Team 7 was a little happy that she was gone. Her presence was overbearing and to an extent, intimidating. They hoped they wouldn't encounter her in the forest.

They stood in front of their gate and waited for the doors to open. And when they did they leaped into that forest, ready for anything.

If only they knew.

 **~Break~**

'Who is this woman?' Sasuke wondered with intense fear. Standing before him was a terrifying woman with smooth black hair and black eyes. She had attacked his team a few moments ago. Mito had been separated from her team by a powerful gust of wind. He had no idea where she was, and he was getting a little worried. However, he was having a problem of his own.

He and Sakura were both frozen by this woman's killing intent. The Uchiha boy was trying so hard to move, but he was terrorized by images of his own death.

'Is this an illusion?' he thought to himself before vomiting on the ground. 'No, it's more than that. Her thirst for blood is almost palpable. Looking in her eyes, I saw the moment of my own death.'

Sakura had it even worse than he did. He called her name but got no response. Tears were dripping down her face, and she was shivering. He could hardly blame her.

They had to get away from this woman, she was death.

 **~Break~**

Mito was face-to-face with an enormous serpent. She had never encountered such a creature before and was feeling a little nervous. No amount of battle experience against other people could have prepared her for such an encounter.

The snake lunged towards her, and she jumped at the last moment. She then performed her signature hand sign, and four shadow clones appeared. They each drew a kunai in both hands, and then they prepared to lunge towards the creature. However, before things could get too serious, dozens of kunai rained down on the serpent.

She looked up towards the branch from which the weapons had come from. She saw a cloaked figure perched on the branch. His hood was drawn, so she was unable to see his face. His clothing and cloak were ragged and worn with age.

"Are you, Mito Uzumaki?" he asked. His voice was relaxed and not at all sinister. "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm just here to talk."

"What is it that you want?" she asked, willing to listen since this man had helped her fight off the snake.

"There are many things about your life that you have yet to know. When the day comes that you want answers, Hiroshi-sama will be willing to assist you."

"Who is Hiroshi-sama? And what are you talking about?" Mito asked, confused. Who was this man?

"The time isn't right for you to know. You haven't experienced the crushing pain that monster is attempting to spread throughout the world. When you do, you'll know. When that day comes, I'll come find you."

"What pain? What monster?" Mito was sick of always being in the dark.

"Don't trust the raven haired Kusa genin or her sensei," the figure said, ignoring her question. "She is more trouble than you can handle right now. And he is something else entirely."

Before she could respond the figure disappeared into the shadows. Was he talking about Miyako? The girl was definitely creepy, but she didn't seem very dangerous. And she hadn't seen the girl's sensei yet, but she would keep her eye out. She felt the need to trust the man. He had an excellent feeling about him like he was clearly a good person. The prospect of getting some future answers was also appealing to her.

 **~Break~**

The cloaked figure was traversing through the forest at breakneck speeds. It was evident that he was an elite shinobi of a high caliber. He hoped that his warning had been effective enough. He would have told her more, but he still needed to keep his cards close to his chest. He had seen that monster, he was destined to destroy everything.

"It's you," a voice said from behind him. The cloaked figure turned around after landing on a branch across from his stalker.

The man was an adult, clearly in his late twenties or early thirties. He was somewhat muscular with brown slicked back hair. He had had a strong jawline and small black eyes. He also had an arrogant smirk on his face. He was wearing typical Kusagakure jonin attire and had his hands in his pockets, clearly relaxed.

"Goro," the cloaked man said. "I should have known you'd be here. With your master's new pet on the loose, of course, you'd be supervising her."

The man laughed uproariously at the cocky remark. It was disturbing to see, considering he'd seen what this man was capable of first hand. It was odd to see such an evil man acting so normal.

"Actually, it's Daichi now," the burly man said in a deep voice after calming down. "I'm not surprised you're here. You always like to meddle in matters that don't concern you. It makes me feel as though I should just kill you now. That is my primary job, after all. Killing those who interfere in his business."

"What is he planning, asshole?" the unnamed cloaked figure demanded. "I know he wouldn't send you here without a reason."

"Who knows? He never tells anyone what he's thinking. However, I don't mind, it just adds to his mystique." the newly named Daichi said with his typical lazy expression. "I just go with the flow. However, I don't think he'd like to hear that you spoke to his sister."

Daichi started wagging his finger as if scolding a small child. "Why keep going? You've already lost so much. You probably look like a deformed freak under your hood at this point. You better hope he doesn't come after you himself. I don't think you'd last very long."

"He still has a few years of growing up to do before he has me shivering in fear," the cloaked man countered. Not rattled in the least.

Daichi chuckled. "It's amazing to see denial so up-close and personal. I don't think you understand what you're dealing with, buddy. He is a master of fear, he could make Hashirama Senju shit his britches. And age has nothing to do with it, power is power."

The 'Kusa jonin' continued, "He'll find you, and when he does, he'll make you experience the worst possible pain imaginable. And then you'll die, whether or not it will be by his hand or yours is still up in the air. He his pretty good at talking people into jumping off the ledge."

The cloaked figure had enough of Daichi's attempts at getting into his head, so he immediately left the area. He still had work to do.

 **~Break~**

Mito and Sasuke were fighting the creepy Kusa-nin. She was powerful, more powerful than any opponent they had ever encountered before. She frequently summoned huge snakes and was able to stretch her body to incredible lengths. She also did this creepy thing with her tongue that they'd rather forget.

Even with Sasuke's Sharingan and Mito's shadow clones, they were unable to land many critical blows. But whenever they did she would simply recover as if she had never been hit at all. She was a freak of nature, even Kakashi-sensei wouldn't be able to beat her.

"I can sense your feeble desire to survive," she said, almost tauntingly. "But what is the point of living when you are capable of so little?"

Mito narrowed her eyes in unspoken rage. Never before had she felt so helpless. It was like she and Sasuke were trying to move a mountain.

"Ah, that look in your eyes," the creepy snake continued. "You are definitely his sister, yet your need to destroy is far less calculated."

Mito's eyes widened in shock when she heard the woman speak. She knew her brother? How could that be? He had been missing for almost three years now. She had begun to lose hope of ever seeing him again. However, before she could question the meaning of the statement, Sasuke launched his attack.

He threw several shurikens at the Kusa-nin, but they were dodged. However, attached to the shuriken were thin ninja wires, nearly invisible to the human eye. He pulled tightly on the wires, and his target was roughly pulled back and was wrapped into a tree, unable to move.

"Mito!" he yelled uncharacteristically. "After I make my move I need you to perform a wind jutsu."

She nodded her head resolutely and waited for his move. He sped through a series of hand signs and announced a jutsu she had never seen him use before, the Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb. The jutsu was going down the wire towards the target at breakneck speeds. Mito quickly weaved some hand signs of her own.

"Wind Style," she said. "Gale Palm!"

The combined wind and fire attack hit the women in what could only be described as a grand inferno. The only thing louder than the roar of the explosion was the screaming of the target. Mito almost felt bad, nobody deserved to suffer through that kind of pain.

The two Konoha genin began panting as they had finally won the battle. Sakura cheered at their victory and ran towards them. However, their relief was short-lived as the Kusa-nin yanked herself from the tree. Surprisingly, she spoke in a voice that showed no pain.

"Such skill with the Sharingan at so young an age," she said, as her voice began to morph into that of a man's. It was creepy and could only be described as snake-like. "I can see the resemblance. In fact, I'd argue that your eyes are even keener than Itachi's."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise when the man mentioned his brother. He knew his brother? He also seemed to know something about Mito's brother too, based on what he said earlier. Who was this man, and how did he know so much?

Before he could even think about moving, he, Mito, and Sakura were paralyzed with a wave of killing intent stronger than any of the previously used ones. This guy got even scarier? How was that even possible?

"Yes," he said. "I think I'll make you mine." After saying that he formed a strange hand sign and his neck elongated to an extraordinary degree. He soon reached his target and sunk his fangs into the Uchiha survivor's neck. Sasuke immediately collapsed to his knees and placed his hand on the strange mark that had formed where he had been bitten. He cried out in intense pain.

"What did you do to Sasuke?!" Sakura yelled in anger and panic.

"I simply gave him a little parting gift. Soon Sasuke will seek me out, in search of my power."

"Do you actually think that is going to happen, you bastard?!" Mito yelled in a rare bout of anger. Her eyes became red with cat-like pupils. Clearly showing that that Kyuubi's chakra was responding to her anger.

The snake looking man glanced at the redheaded girl with a dangerous amount of interest. They had already seen what his interest had done to Sasuke so they would have to play it safe.

"Ah yes, the lesser twin," he said mockingly. "I would entertain you a little more, but it is not polite to play with someone else's toy without their permission. However, I can have you interfering too much."

After saying that he lunged towards Mito's paralyzed body with the five fingers on his right hand covered in purple flames. "Five-Pronged Seal," he announced, before striking her in the abdomen, right where her Four Symbols Seal was located. Her eyes widened in pain, and she made to scream, but no sound came out. She immediately collapsed.

"My name is Orochimaru, and I hope that you are able to make it through this test. For your sakes that is."

Upon saying that, the man began to sink into the branch he was standing on, it was almost like he was merging with it somehow. Sakura would have sighed in relief if it wasn't for her teammate's unconscious bodies on the ground.

 **~Break~**

Orochimaru was halfway submerged in a tree somewhere else in the forest. He was upside down with only the front of his body being visible. He seemed to be resting, it was strange to see him doing something even remotely human. The skin on the face he had stolen was almost entirely peeled from his face. Undoubtedly due to his battle with Team 7.

Sasuke was very impressive. His taijutsu was refined, his ninjutsu was powerful, and he had already unlocked the Sharingan. However, that girl, Mito had also caught his eye. She showed potential that was equal to the Uchiha survivors. She had much more chakra, and it would soon become one with the beast inside her. However, his primary interest was the Sharingan.

To be able to wield that kind of power was too promising to pass up. Itachi had caught him off guard during their previous encounter; however, he was still impressed. The Akatsuki member had managed to put him under a genjutsu even though he was so young. He could only have gotten stronger after all this time.

"Orochimaru-san, it looks like you have been busy," a young voice said in front of him. He opened his eyes and saw Naruto Uzumaki standing before him. It was quite the sight. He was wearing Konoha Anbu armor and was holding the standard porcelain mask in his hand. He was also holding the standard black hooded Anbu cloak in his right arm. He had clearly stolen them from an operative.

"Boy, I see that you have managed to infiltrate the village," Orochimaru said with his signature grin. "I shouldn't be surprised, you are rather skilled at lurking in the shadows. But I didn't expect you until later."

The two had come to a sort of agreement a while ago. Naruto would assist Orochimaru in the invasion of Konoha. The snake Sannin didn't know why, but he would never turn down such powerful help.

The boy was an unconventional ally. He rarely ever appeared before the snake Sannin, and whenever he did, he never spoke very clearly. Orochimaru had begun to think that the boy took pleasure in being an enigma. There was also the distinct pattern of mental illness in his followers. The boy had an eye for picking psychopaths out from a crowd. And he was equally skilled in convincing them to kill on his behalf.

"Anko Mitarashi is coming this way," the blonde boy announced with a beautiful smile. "I hope you're ready for a reunion."

He was correct in his assumptions, this boy was beyond fascinating.

 **~Break~**

Anko Mitarashi has experienced a very rough life. The only person to ever accept her was her sensei, Orochimaru. However, he turned out to be a murderous, selfish psychopath. The revelation wrecked her mentally, and she was deemed unfit for duty for a few months. But eventually, she managed to get back into active duty.

She had been suffering from severe depression ever since. Not being one for talking, she never told anyone about her problem. She masked her inner pain with faux confidence. She never told anyone, but she had contemplated suicide many times. But every time she considered it, she decided that she was a good person and that she wasn't like her sensei.

She had just confronted her sensei in the Forest of Death. She had been utterly outclassed and humiliated. She had almost used a suicide technique to kill him. She had dreamed of killing him that way many times. Her last act on this Earth would be taking her life and his. To her, it would be poetic.

How arrogant she had been, to think that she could defeat Orochimaru of the Sannin on her own. She truly was pathetic.

She turned as she felt a presence behind her. Her shoulders tensed and she prepared for battle. However, she relaxed when she saw it was a Konoha Anbu. He was wearing the traditional porcelain mask and was wearing the black hooded cloak that most Anbu used to maintain their anonymity. She noticed that he was a little on the shorter side, perhaps he was young? It wasn't unheard of, Itachi Uchiha had been an Anbu at ten.

"Are you alright, Anko-san?" he asked in a kind and concerned tone of voice. It was strange to hear an Anbu expressing kindness. They were typically stoic individuals, they did so to hide their real personality from those around them. With the exception of a few squads, most Anbu didn't reveal their identities or faces to anyone, even their fellow Anbu operatives. That's how paranoid the majority of them were. Their jobs were dangerous, and they were viewed as being targets that held valuable information.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she answered offhandedly. She went to stand but found that her legs were buckling under her. As she was about to fall, the Anbu put her arm over his shoulder to assist her. Honestly, she was a little touched by his kindness. As odd as it was.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you to Hokage-sama, he's waiting in the tower as we speak."

 **~Break~**

Sakura was on her last legs. She had been defending her unconscious teammates for hours, and she was running low on chakra. The Sound shinobi that were attacking them were powerful and very fixated on killing Sasuke. So far, the bowl-haired boy who professed his love for her during the First Stage, Rock Lee, had been incapacitated. He tried to help her, but it was no use.

Even Team 10 was trying to assist them. But they weren't particularly powerful, at least not as strong as the Sound team. Hope was beginning to be lost, but then Hinata's cousin, Neji appeared. From what Sakura knew he was a prodigy among prodigies. Basically, he was the Sasuke of the previous graduating class.

Before the branch Hyuuga member could engage the Sound Team in battle, he noticed a sinister chakra with his Byakugan. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Typically, chakra wasn't visible to the naked eye, but this particular chakra was. It was purple and was swirling around the Uchiha boy like fire.

Said Uchiha was standing with a terrifying look on his face. But that wasn't the most noticeable thing about him. His body was covered in strange orange-red flame-like markings that were spreading over his body. However, once they finished, they seemed to cool down and turn a charcoal black color.

"Sakura," the Uchiha said, in an intimidating voice. "Sakura, who did this to you?"

He was referring to the beatdown she had received from the mouthy Sound shinobi. There was also the matter of her shortened hair. She had cut it to get out from the grip of the only kunoichi on the Sound Team. All in all, she wasn't looking very good.

"That would be me," the Sound shinobi named Zaku said with a cocky smirk. Unaware of the sheer terror and pain he had just inadvertently unleashed on himself.

 **~Break~**

 _Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a nameless monster. The monster was dying to have a name. So he decided to set out on a journey to find his name._ _  
_

 _But the world was a large place, so the monster split into two on his journey. One monster went to the East. And the other went to the West. The monster who went East came to a village. "Mr. Blacksmith, please give me your name."_ _  
_

 _"You can't give someone a name."_ _  
_

 _"If you give me your name, I'll jump into your stomach and make you strong in return."_ _  
_

 _"Really? You'll make me stronger? Okay, you can have my name."_ _  
_

 _And the monster went inside the blacksmith's stomach._ _  
_

 _The monster became Aoi, the blacksmith._ _Aoi was the strongest man in town. But one day "Look at me, look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large."_ _  
_

 _Munch-munch, chomp-chomp, gobble gobble, gulp. The hungry monster ate Aoi from the inside. He went back to being a monster without a name._ _  
_

 _He jumped into the stomach of Hachiro the shoemaker, but Munch-munch, chomp-chomp, gobble gobble, gulp. He went back to being a monster without a name._ _  
_

 _He jumped into the stomach of Juro, the hunter, but_ _Munch-munch, chomp-chomp, gobble gobble, gulp. And once again he was a monster without a name._

 _The monster went to a castle to look for a wonderful name. It came across a prince. However, the prince was very sick._ _  
_

 _"If you give me your name, I'll make you strong."_ _  
_

 _"If you'll heal my sickness, I'll give you my name." The monster jumped into the boy's stomach. The king was delighted._ _  
_

 _"The prince is well. The prince is well."_ _  
_

 _The monster liked the boy's name. He liked living in the castle. So even when he was hungry, he stayed put. Every day he was so hungry, but he stayed put._ _  
_

 _But one day he was just too hungry. "Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large," said the boy. The boy ate the king and all the servants. Munch-munch, chomp-chomp, gobble gobble, gulp._

 _One day, the boy came upon the monster who had gone west._ _  
_

 _"I have a name. It's a wonderful name," said the boy._ _  
_

 _The monster who went west replied, "You don't need a name. You can be happy without a name. Because we are nameless monsters."_ _  
_

 _The boy ate the monster who went west. Even though he had finally found a name, there was no one around to call him by it._

It was too bad, Naruto _was such a wonderful name, too. (Adapted from the Nameless Monster, Naoki Urasawa)._

Mito awoke from the strange dream. Unlike her previous dreams, she couldn't see anything. She could only hear the narration of a children's book. Weirdly enough, the voice reading the story was her brother's. It was what his voice sounded like when they were very young before they had been adopted by their foster family.

She wondered why the young prince in the story had the name Naruto. She had never met anyone other than her brother with that name. It was a very unique name, it meant Malestorm. Perhaps he had just replaced the real name of the prince with his own as he was reading it?

She groggily turned her head and saw a rather disturbing sight. Sasuke had his foot pressed against another boy's back and was roughly pulling on his arms. She quickly got up and attempted to tell him to stop, but it was too late. He pulled with all his might, and a loud snapping noise reverberated throughout the clearing.

Her eyes widened in shock. Never before had she seen such brutality, and it was Sasuke! She didn't think that her friend was capable of such reckless violence.

She finally managed to stand up and confronted him. "Sasuke! What are you doing?!"

He looked in her direction with a borderline insane expression. She knew this wouldn't end well.

 **~End~**


	5. Chapter Five

**The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Five**

There was something Anko immediately noticed about the Anbu that was escorting her to the Hokage. It was his chakra; it was distinct. Distinct in the sense that it was a blank presence. It was so unnoticeable that it was noticeable. She didn't know if that made any sense, but it unnerved her nonetheless.

On the other end, she was getting very conflicted feelings from his presence. On the one hand, he gave off an aura that made her want to trust him. It was a feeling she never felt before. The feeling in and of itself was what was making her so nervous. In the real world, nobody was like that. To a skilled interrogator like her, nobody was able to hide who they were completely. And in her experience, everyone was a little bad.

"What are you thinking about, Anko-san?" the object of her thoughts asked. Then there was the matter of his voice. It was slightly muffled by his Anbu mask. However, he spoke as if he were trying to soothe a small child. Was he patronizing her? If so, she couldn't bring herself to get upset, which was weird, since that was her specialty.

"We wouldn't want you to try and kill yourself, Anko-san," the Anbu continued. Her eyes widened in shock at his words. Was he making fun of her depression? What kind of monster would do that, and how did he know?

"You think it's funny to make fun of my problems? Do you?!" she yelled in anger. Maybe this guy was actually was an asshole.

"You misunderstand, Mitarashi-san," the Anbu said in a placating tone. "I was merely referring to your attempted method of defeating Orochimaru-san."

"Oh," she said in an embarrassed tone of voice. Why was she so dumb at times? It always made social interaction very difficult for her. This man was helping her and yet here she was, laying into him.

"I think that it is admirable that you were willing to sacrifice yourself to defeat the enemy, Anko-san," the Anbu said, much to her surprise. "Most in your position would fear death. But you embraced it like you were ready."

Anko stayed silent when she heard this. At this point, she knew his words weren't intentional, but they cut through her like a knife. She had been ready to die, hadn't she? She really had nothing to live for in this world. No friends, no family, nothing. How pathetic.

"I'm sure many people would miss you if you were gone, Anko-san," the Anbu said, 'unintentionally' twisting the proverbial knife in her gut with his words. "Since the value of a person's life cannot normally be quantified, it is measured by the love that others hold for them."

Anko looking down as she was being assisted to the Hokage. She supposed her life would be considered worthless then. She didn't blame the Anbu for his words, his demeanor showed that he was only trying to help her. She reassured herself that no such monster existed that would willingly invoke such a feeling of sorrow within a person.

'Right?' She thought as the 'Anbu' made a small smile under his mask, obviously amused with the sick game he'd been playing with this woman.

 **~Break~**

Mito was not one to acknowledge irony, but in this case, she couldn't help it. Here she was, fighting her emotionally unstable teammate, just as he had done with her a few days ago. She supposed that it was divine karma of some kind.

Sasuke was even more dangerous and powerful than usual at the moment. His attacks were fast and powerful, and his chakra was potent. He didn't seem to be trying to kill her, but how long would that last. Sasuke had always been keen on testing himself. Perhaps in his current mania that was what he was trying to do?

He charged at her with insane speed, and she barely managed to block his strike. It was like his fists were made from stone. She launched herself and him back with a quick wind jutsu. He was hardly deterred and charged once more. It seemed that Sasuke fought a lot differently while in this form. Typically, he was very reactive, countering the moves of his opponents. But now he was exclusively the aggressor.

He weaved through a set of hand signs and launched the Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb Jutsu. She knew she was in trouble, so she quickly formed a set of hand signs of her own.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

A wall of Water immediately formed in front of her, protecting her from all damage. She was glad that Kakashi-sensei identified that she had a water affinity and began teaching her jutsu. She would have been out of luck today.

The collision of the fire and the water created a thick mist. The Uchiha and the Uzumaki charged at one another in an intense clash. Mito was outmatched and was launched back by a practically powerful strike. She and Sasuke were roughly equal when he was in his normal state, so how could she beat him when he was amped up?

However, before the fight could continue Sakura lunged herself at the last Uchiha, wrapped her arms around him from behind, and begged him to stop. Eventually, the marks receded, and he fell onto his butt. Finding his hands to be very interesting as he was staring at them intently.

As they continued through the Second Stage, they were offered help from an older boy named Kabuto Yakushi. During the First Stage, he had offered to help them by showing the information he had stored on his cards. He seemed like a nice enough guy, so Team 7 trusted him.

They were glad that they did. Otherwise, Team 7 may have never retrieved the scroll they needed or made it to the tower. They knew that since they were all from the same village, there should be a sense of camaraderie, but why had he gone so out of his was to assist them? In the shinobi world one should never trust an enemy, and in this portion of the test, anyone not on Team 7 was an enemy. At least that's what Sasuke thought.

It was a very Sasuke-ish thing to think.

 **~Break~**

Team 7 immediately came into contact with Team 8 after they opened their scrolls. Iruka-sensei had appeared and told them about the analogy of heaven and earth. Without 'heaven' a shinobi would be unintelligent and unable to complete missions. On the other end, without 'earth' a shinobi could have all the intellect in the world, but if they were too weak, it wouldn't matter.

Mito saw Hinata and ran towards her. She hugged her best friend, happy that she was alright. As the two polar opposite best friends were catching up, Kiba was giving Sasuke the stink eye. He still hated the Uchiha survivor for what he did to him those years ago. His ego wouldn't allow him to forget.

"Took you long enough to get here," he said to the Uchiha. "I'm surprised the great Sasuke Uchiha just barely passed the Second Stage of the Chunin Exams."

The Uchiha didn't even acknowledge Kiba's existence. No, he was too focused on the masked Anbu at the end of the hall. He was staring intently at Mito while her back was turned. He seemed particularly interested in observing her relationship with Hinata. Who was this Anbu? And why did so many people have such a peculiar interest in his redheaded teammate?

"Mito-chan!" an excited voice that he immediately identified as Ino greeted. "Mito-chan! You made it through the Second Stage, I am glad."

Everything was very chaotic as the many members of this year's graduating class began greeting their redheaded friend. It was moments like this that showed Sasuke just how different he and Mito really were. They were both skilled and talented shinobi, but Mito garnered the love of many, whereas he was living in a sort of self-imposed exile. After losing so much, he was afraid to invest any time and energy into forming new bonds that would just eventually break. Mito had experience loss as well, that was why he considered her his first friend. Yet, she was able to create strong bonds with everyone around her.

He looked at the end of the hallway once more, but the Anbu was gone.

 **~Break~**

Kakashi was waiting in the battle arena section of the tower. He and all the other jonin senseis were waiting for their students to arrive. Next to him was his 'Eternal Rival,' Maito Guy. He would never admit this out loud, but he actually valued Guy's presence in his life. He was an inextinguishable light that was always there as a friend for him.

He noticed that other than he and the Konoha senseis There was a sensei from Sunagakure, a sensei from Kusagakure, and a sensei from the newly formed Otogakure. He was surprised that two teams from minor villages were able to make it through the Second Stage.

Eventually, the participants began to file into the room. He immediately noticed his team and the rough shape that they were in. He was happy to see that they were alive. He may have on a brave face when telling the Hokage that his team was ready, but deep down he was a little nervous. Looking at them here now, he knew that the worst was already over. They had made it out of the most dangerous portion of the exam.

He was slightly worried about their chances in the preliminaries and the Third Stage. As the Hokage and the Proctor were reading out the rules of the preliminaries, he was observing the competition. There were two combatants that Kakashi was particularly worried about. The first was the redheaded boy from Suna. He was standing there with his teammates and was one of the only participants that didn't have a single scratch on their body. The look in his eyes could only be described as pure evil. He noticed that Team 8 was looking the Suna genin with a particular level of trepidation.

And the second was the black haired girl from Kusa. He'd seen the look she had in her eyes before. They wanted for nothing, feared nothing, and loved nothing. In his opinion, she looked just like one of Danzo's Root Anbu. However, she seemed very adept at hiding her true nature and emotions.

If any of his squad were to get into a fight with either of these two, he might be tempted to step in.

 **~Break~**

Miyako was bored while listening to the coughing Proctor go on and on about the rules. However, she perked up when she heard that killing was frowned upon, but not forbidden. She was confident she could kill any of the competition in this room, except with maybe two. Those two being the only two redheads still competing.

Her chakra was corrosive and was able to kill certain people to the touch. However, those with power, potent chakra, like the Suna boy and Mito-san wouldn't be murdered by her ability. Their chakra was too powerful and would just overpower her ability. That was fine though, it wasn't like she needed to kill them anyway.

 **~Break~**

Mito was very concerned for Sasuke. The preliminaries had begun, and Sakura was attempting to convince him to forfeit due to his condition. Several people forfeited, including Kabuto, Choji, and the entire Rain team, except for Miyako. Which made sense, because she seemed very excited to fight.

Thankfully, during Sasuke's match, which was the first one, he was able to pull it out. His opponent had a strange ability to absorb chakra. Sasuke was unable to use his chakra due to the curse mark on his neck. In the end, he defeated his opponent using taijutsu, proving his versatility. After it was over, Kakashi-sensei took him out of the arena, likely to seal the mark. Mito wasn't an expert on seals, but she was smart enough to figure out what was going on.

The next fight was between Shino and the Oto-nin that Sasuke brutalized. Shino managed to win by plugging the air-tubes in his opponents hands with his beetles. Mito never knew that Shino was so smart and strong. The result proved that you should never underestimate your enemy ever.

She wondered how Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were doing?

 **~Break~**

Kakashi had just finished painting all the sealing markings along the floor and Sasuke's back. It was tedious work, but it needed to be done. He would not allow his student to be corrupted by that disgusting mark.

"Okay," he said after he finished. "It'll be over quickly, but you will experience extreme pain. Are you ready?"

The last Uchiha nodded and braced himself for what he knew was going to be agony. Kakashi then went through a long series of hand signs and then he was ready. He announced the Curse Sealing Jutsu and placed his hand on top of the mark. Immediately, Sasuke's eyes widened, and he began screaming in pain. The marks on the ground began to hover towards the mark and wrapped themselves in a circle around it. The jutsu finally finished, and Kakashi hoped that it'd be enough.

"There now the next time that curse mark starts acting up, that seal should keep it in check," Kakashi said. "But it's only as strong as you are. It derives its strength from your will. If at any moment your will weakens or if you ever begin to doubt yourself, the curse will return in all its fury."

The Uchiha collapsed after his sensei finished with his warning, "Look at that, too tired to even argue," Kakashi said with a chuckle.

"My, how you've grown," an eerily silky voice said from behind the grey-haired jonin.

Kakashi's lone eye widened in shock and he turned towards the intruder as they continued, "To think you are powerful enough to use the Curse Sealing Jutsu."

"You," Kakashi said while looking towards the snake Sannin. "Orochimaru."

"Long time no see, Kakashi."

Kakashi knew that he was in way over his head. He was strong, yes, but this was one of the Legendary Sannin! He asked Orochimaru what he wanted, and the man made it clear that he was after the Sharingan. He listened as Orochimaru began expressing how valuable of a piece Sasuke was to him as if he were an object and not an actual human being. Kakashi had enough of his ambitious rambling and decided to take action.

He grabbed his right arm and began channeling lightning into his hand. "I don't care if you are one of the Sannin, the three shinobi of legend, if you take one step towards Sasuke, one of us is going to die here."

However, his efforts only seemed to make the snake Sannin laugh, "Do you honestly think that your seal will hold, that you can actually keep him? You cannot keep that boy from what he really wants. And I think we both know what that is."

Orochimaru turned to leave the ceremonial room, but not before finishing, "That's right, Sasuke will soon seek me out. In search of power."

However, as he was walking out, the Sannin stopped in his tracks, "Unless you carry out your threat to kill me."

Kakashi's eyes widened as he was hit with a powerful blast of killing intent. He saw many images of his death. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. This man was truly in a class of his own.

The footsteps of the evil snake echoed throughout the room as he left. Kakashi finally allowed the lightning to dispel from his hand and his shoulders sagged in an odd combination of stress and relief.

"One of us is going to die here?" he asked to himself out loud. "What was I thinking?"

 **~Break~**

The next five matches weren't that extraordinary. They resulted in a victory for Kankuro of the Sand, Temari of the Sand, and surprisingly, Shikamaru. However, much to Mito's disappointment, Sakura would not be moving on to the next round. Her and Ino had both fought each other, and it ended in a double knockout.

She saw the device that scrolled through the contestants and saw her and Kiba's name appear. She looked towards Hinata with worry, this meant the Hyuga heiress would be fighting either, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, the Mummy guy from the Sound, the intimidating redhead from the Sand, or Miyako. All of which she figured were powerful opponents. However, she wasn't able to worry long as she was instructed to go to the arena to compete in her match.

As she stood across from Kiba, she noticed that he looked very confident. She knew that Kiba was a skilled hand-to-hand fighter, but he wasn't anywhere close to Sasuke's level of skill. She had sparred with Sasuke many times, so she figured she could handle the Inuzuka.

As the match began, the two genins quickly darted towards each other. They exchanged several blows; however, they were all either blocked or dodged. Mito kicked towards his head, but he ducked. To counter, Kiba swept the only leg Mito had remaining on the ground. But the redheaded Uzumaki twisted in the air and ax kicked the top of his head.

The boy collapsed but then quickly got on all fours and jumped back. He announced his Inuzuka Style jutsu, Beast Mimicry and attacked. His teeth and nails were elongated, more so than usual. He began to spin in the air like a pinwheel of death until Mito couldn't even see him anymore.

"Tunneling Fang!" he yelled as he came careening towards her. She managed to barely dodge but saw that his jutsu left a trench-like mark on the concrete ground. It would be nasty is she were to be hit by one of those.

The battle went on for several more minutes. Kiba's dog Akamaru even used the transformation jutsu and turned into Kiba. It reminded her of the dreams she would have in which she would be staring directly at a perfect copy of herself.

'Welcome home,' she heard ring through her head. It distracted her, and she was hit by Kiba and Akamaru's Fang Over Fang jutsu. A jutsu in which Kiba and his transformed partner both used the Tunneling Fang together.

She fell on her back and noticed that she was very dizzy. She looked up towards the stands and saw that Kakashi-sensei had returned. He gave her a nod of confidence, and that was all she needed. She quickly stood up and began weaving hand signs for a jutsu.

As her two opponents came spinning towards her with their Fang Over Fang technique, she announced her jutsu.

"Wind Style: Fist of the Angered God!" she said. It was a powerful, widespread, B-Rank jutsu that should be able to get the job done.

The jutsu hit head on and knocked the two opponents back. However, she wasn't finished as she began weaving through an unusually long set of hand signs. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

It was currently the most powerful jutsu in her arsenal. Kakashi-sensei taught it to her to be her trump card. It was an A-Rank technique that most wouldn't be able to use without an active water source nearby. However, her high affinity for water allowed to use the molecules in the air.

The jutsu hit her two dazed opponents head on, and they slammed into the wall of the arena with tremendous force. Most that were watching were shocked when they saw a genin use an A-ranked water jutsu without any water nearby. Kakashi had the Uchiha prodigy and this girl? He was really lucky.

 **~Break~**

After Mito's match was over Kakashi decided that he would check on Sasuke in the medical ward of the tower. The curse sealing jutsu takes a lot out of the recipient, and they would need to be extensively looked cared for afterward. Sasuke would most likely complain about it when he woke up. But that didn't anger Kakashi, it was what made the last Uchiha special.

However, he was shocked to see both of the Anbu guarding the room dead. Their throats had been slit, showing that they were both taken by surprise. Immediately after checking if the two operatives were alive He darted into the room and almost gasped at what he saw.

The third Anbu guard was hung from the ceiling over Sasuke's still unconscious form. The deceased Anbu's mask had been painted to depict a monster, and the corpse was hung about an inch from Sasuke's body. The Uchiha survivor was practically nose to nose with the masked body.

What shocked Kakashi the most, however, was the text that was written on the left wall of the room. He immediately noticed that it was painted with the blood of the dead Anbu operatives. It said:

 _Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large_

'What the hell is that supposed to mean?' the masked jonin wondered. He quickly diverted his attention to his unconscious student and removed the body hanging from the ceiling. He removed the mask from the Anbu to get a better look at it.

He was shocked to notice that while the design on the mask was clearly meant to be a monster, it slightly resembled the Uchiha boy. It had a hidden leaf headband painted on it, but the entirety of the face was painted green. What sold it to him, however, was that on the eyelids of the Anbu's corpse, Sharingan designs had been drawn. Much like Sasuke's Sharingan they only had two tomoe. He also noticed that out of the three dead Anbu, the one that was hanging over his student had black hair, pale skin, and onyx eyes. All physical traits that Sasuke possessed.

'Was the killer attempting to use this body to represent Sasuke?' Kakashi thought to himself. Was he or she saying that his student was a monster?

"No," he said out loud. "The body was hung up above Sasuke for a reason. In fact, it was positioned to look similar to Sasuke's sleeping form. Were they trying to mirror Sasuke with this corpse? If so, then for what purpose?"

His immediate thought was Orochimaru. Was he taunting him by showing the monster Sasuke would become? It was right up the alley of the Snake Sannin's style of taunting. It was intelligent and was meant to be found by someone smart enough to understand what it meant.

He then thought about the text on the wall and thought about what it represented and came to a final conclusion. "Whoever did this was attempting to demonstrate the 'monster' that Sasuke has inside of him."

Was that the message the killer was attempting to send here?

 **~Break~**

Neji had just defeated the Sound-nin, Dosu. After seeing this, Mito was confident that Neji's hype was not overstated. The boy fought with a calm and brutal efficiency. She would say for sure that out of all the participants in the exams his taijutsu was the most dangerous by far. To be able to block chakra point and rupture organs with a single tap? Who wouldn't fear such an ability?

That was at least until she saw Rock Lee fight Gaara of the Sand. His speed was phenomenal, he was faster than both her and Sasuke! After taking off his ankle weights, which were insanely heavy, he managed to land several blows through the redhead's so-called 'ultimate defense.'

He then did something that Kakashi-sensei called 'Opening the Gates.' He seemed pretty upset at Gai-sensei for teaching Lee how to use it, so it must be dangerous. The fight afterward became like something she'd never seen before, it was fast, exciting, and incredibly memorable. However, tragically, Rock Lee was defeated and critically injured. She heard the medics say he would never be a shinobi again after injuring his arm, leg, and spine due to Gaara's crushing sand.

She was definitely worried for Lee, but right now she was more focused on Hinata. Hinata and Miyako were the last two combatants and by default would be fighting each other. She looked towards the creepy Kusa-nin and saw her sensei whispering something into her ear. Whatever it was, Miyako must have liked it because she responded with an eerie grin. These were the two people the hooded man told her not to trust, and one of them would be fighting her best friend!

She went to warn the Hyuga heir, but the girl was already walking down the stairs towards the arena. Miyako was the first one there, since she just jumped off the viewing balcony, clearly excited. She hoped that Hinata wouldn't get hurt. She had no idea what kind of jutsu Miyako used, and she hoped it wasn't deadly.

When the fight began Hinata charged her opponent, ready to engage her in the Hyuga's gentle fist. She managed to strike Miyako several times with no resistance, and the Kusa-nin was launched back. Hinata's sensei, Kurenai, gave the Kusa jonin a cocky glance after this happened. Mito was surprised, she had expected more from Miyako. Didn't the cloaked man say she was dangerous?

However, she soon learned why when the raven-haired girl slowly rose from she prone position. Blood was leaking from her mouth, but she was smiling like a maniac. A strange black aura began to rise from her body and take the form of a cloud above her. Mito didn't know what it was, but it looked dangerous.

The cloud quickly launched towards the Hyuga heir, who was forced to dodge. The black cloud was swift and was able to continuously alter its form in order to hit its target. Hinata appeared to be getting very winded from the constant dodging and began to breathe heavily on the opposite end of the arena.

"Come on Hinata!" Mito, perhaps against her better judgment, said. "You can do it!"

Hinata looked towards her friend in surprise. But soon, the looked turned to one of determination. She charged the Kusa genin at a speed greater than she had ever achieved before. Miyako managed to dodge a lot of the attacks, but it was clear that she was not a skilled close-range fighter. However, much to Mito's shock a spike of the black aura came from Miyako's stomach and pierced the Hyuga heir through the chest.

Everyone that was watching was shocked, and several of the Konoha jonin jumped to save her, but it was too late. Her body began to disintegrate as if it was a pile of sand being blown away by the wind. The last thing she did was look Mito in the eyes before it was over.

Hinata was dead.

 **~Break~**

Daichi grinned at the result of the match. It was things like this that made him so devoted to Naruto. Such carefully laid plans that would always work. To Daichi, everything out of the blonde boy's mouth was absolute fact, and he had no desire to see anything else around him as real. At the very least, he seemed to mimic, copy, or mirror anything Naruto encouraged people to believe, and he reinforced it as much as he could.

This was clearly the first step in breaking Mito Uzumaki. Naruto had observed the friendship between the Hyuga heir and his sister and decided that Hinata needed to go. He was brilliant like that, able to find what Mito cared about most with a single glance and then have it destroyed.

In a stroke of irony, Daichi gave the Hyuga girl's sensei a cocky glance, in response to the one he had received earlier. Today had been pretty fun.

 **~Break~**

The preliminaries were over, but Mito hardly cared. Her best friend was dead. She would never get to grow up and find love. She would never be able to fulfill any of her dreams. Mito also had a selfish reason for being upset. Hinata was her best friend, and she would be lonely without her. Sakura and Sasuke were her friends, yes, but the bond she and Hinata shared could not be so easily replaced.

What made her even more upset was that Miyako forfeited from competing in the Third Stage! The goal of the preliminaries was to decide who would make it to the Third Stage. Hinata died so that Miyako would move forward and the raven-haired psycho forfeited? This was the first time in a long time that Mito hated someone.

She would be an inconsolable wreck right now if it weren't for the fact that she had experienced tremendous loss before. There was the death of her first foster parents, the disappearance of her brother, and now Hinata. Was this the loneliness that the cloaked man had told her about?

She heard that in the finals she would be fighting Neji Hyuga, the only person who seemed as enraged as she was. He always tried to act like he hated Hinata's guts, but apparently, he was just lying to himself. Neji too had now experienced loss, how would he react?

Mito didn't know what he would do, but she knew what she would do. She would continue to get stronger and better herself as a person, it was what Hinata would have wanted. Hinata would not want her to seek vengeance.

 **~Break~**

"Orochimaru-sama," a grey-haired, bespectacled teen said. "Are you sure that we can trust that boy? He clearly had his own agenda."

"Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru responded with a chuckle. "You are right to be worried; however, I believe that we have things under control."

Kabuto frowned as he watched his master leave the area. Orochimaru-sama hadn't seen what he'd seen. Kabuto went to check on the Uchiha in the hospital and came across a grizzly sight. The three Anbu guards were dead, and one was made to depict a monster and was hanging above the sleeping Uchiha. He had to quickly leave as he noticed Kakashi Hatake was making his way towards the room.

Then there was the writing on the wall, 'Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large, _'_ he thought to himself, recalling the scene. Where did he recognize that from? He had a distinct memory of that phrase.

He decided that he would find this, Naruto Uzumaki, and tail him for information. He wanted to see if the boy would be a danger to Orochimaru-sama's plans. Besides, information gathering was his specialty.

 **~Break~**

"I would like for everyone to settle down," the Hokage announced. His office was packed with all the jonin in the village. Kakashi had just told them of his terrifying discovery in the tower's infirmary. It was a rather strange tale and one that shocked everyone currently in his office.

"If we are to find the one responsible we must do so with calm and level heads," the God of Shinobi said.

"What's there to find?" Anko shouted. "It's obvious who did it!"

To Anko, there was no doubt that the one responsible was her sensei, Orochimaru. He was an S-Rank criminal that was confirmed to be in the area. To her, he was the prime suspect.

"I don't believe that Orochimaru is responsible, Anko-kun," the Hokage said, much to her surprise. "Orochimaru was never one for leaving messages. He is much too arrogant and would prefer to say it directly to your face."

"No," he continued. "Whoever did this would be best described as a phantom. Someone who prefers not to be seen or heard. The perpetrator likely has no ego and is highly intelligent."

The room's occupants found themselves nodding at their leader's words. This was the Third Hokage, nobody had more experience or expertise than him. They trusted his opinions and took them very seriously, even if they contradicted their own. He was that revered.

"And another thing," the Hokage said. "Whoever did this was someone the Anbu guards did not find suspicious. That is odd considering Anbu are notoriously suspicious people, no? With this information, I have come to one conclusion."

"Whoever did this," Kakashi said, finishing his leader's theory. "Is either an Anbu or is impersonating one."

"That is right," the Hokage responds. "If it is an imposter, which I believe it is, they will be very skilled at blending in. I would like for you all to keep your eyes peeled while I attempt to find the imposter within the Anbu ranks."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

 **~Break~**

Anko was immediately on the search as it was now evening. She was pretty skeptical about the perpetrator not being her sensei, but she still had her duty. Most of the other jonin had given up for the night, they all had families of other responsibilities waiting for them. Well, tragically, she didn't.

She knew that now wasn't the time to lament about her pitiful existence, but she couldn't help it. When you were as lonely as her, all you had were your thoughts. However, her thoughts are interrupted as she notices something.

There was a suspicious shadow scaling the Hokage Stone Faces, and she proceeded to follow it. Her instincts told her that whoever it was, they were who she was looking for. Over the many years of her life, she has learned to trust her instincts above all else.

She finally reached the top and saw a young looking Anbu. He was holding his black cloak in his left arm but was still wearing his mask. She noticed that he had somewhat spiky blonde hair.

"You!" she yelled. "Remove your mask and turn around slowly."

He did as instructed and she was stunned. He was beautiful, like something out of a dream. The feeling she was getting from him was something she had felt before. It was the aura of the Anbu that helped her in the forest.

"Is something wrong, Anko-san?" he asked in a beautiful silky voice. "You seem a little tense."

"You know what this is about," she growled. "You fit the profile that Hokage-sama gave us perfectly."

Now that she thought about it, when he was helping her in the forest he commented on the method she used to try to kill Orochimaru. He only could have known that if he was watching. Her eyes widened immediately. This was definitely their guy.

"Shouldn't you be spending an enjoyable evening with your friends right now, Anko-san?" he asked with a kind smile. He really was a sick piece of shit, now that she knew what he was capable of.

"You won't be making jokes when you are detained for murder and the impersonation of an Anbu, asshole," she growled.

"I merely took this man's name," he said. "However, the monster inside of me got far too big and ate it's way out."

When she heard him say that, she was one hundred percent certain that it wasn't her sensei that murdered those Anbu. It was this boy. This sick and vile boy.

"You know," he continued. "I was rather curious about your sensei when I entered this village. So curious in fact, that I looked through his file. It was quite large, you'd be impressed."

Anko frowned, where was he going with this? Regardless, she wouldn't let her guard down.

"I looked through a plethora of autopsy reports of the victims. Your sensei was a very vile man, Anko-san. He dissected those people with complete calm and precision. There was absolutely no hesitation in his cuts. However, there was a strange inconsistency."

Anko was beginning to get unnerved. This boy had a presence that was suffocating in nature. Now that she had discovered him, he wasn't masking his malevolent nature. She was the student of Orochimaru, one of the most terrifying people in the Elemental Nations, and this boy was scaring her!

"The autopsy reports showed a few bodies that told a different story," the boy practically purred. "They revealed that an inexperienced hand was responsible for some of the killings. Unlike the other victims, the person who did this was nervous, afraid, and perhaps guilty."

As he said this, images of blood and violence flashed through Anko's mind.

"You killed those people didn't you, Anko-san?"

"No! I didn't, I wouldn't!" she shouted frantically.

"You butchered those people. You were lucid and willing."

"Shut up!" she shouted, with tears in her eyes.

"Are you lying to me, or are you just lying to yourself?"

Her eyes widen, and she is once again flashed with images of violence. This time, much clearer images. They victims were lying on tables, and someone was cutting them open. But who was it?

At this point, Naruto's demeanor had gone through a slight change. His beautiful smile and voice had very malevolent undertones. His eyes were also half lidded. He was the most terrifying thing Anko had ever seen.

'I'm a good person. I'm a good person. I'm a good person. I'm a good person. I'm a good person," Anko repeatedly chanted in her mind. It was what she would always tell herself when she used to contemplate suicide.

"You probably used to tell yourself that you were a good person when confronted with the memories. In fact, you're probably doing it now. Am I right?" the blonde-haired monster asked with a smile.

She remembered now. It was her, she did it.

 **~Break~**

It was late, and the Hokage was reading in his office. He would be going to his private residence soon after a long day. He hoped that Konohamaru was already asleep, he wasn't in the mood to deal with the energetic child. There was far too much happening in his village. He soon heard a knocking on his door.

"Enter," he said.

"Hokage-sama," the guest said, revealing himself to be a patrolling chunin. "Hokage-sama, I have tragic news."

"What is it?" the God of Shinobi asked in a stern voice. He was beginning to get a bad feeling.

"Anko Mitarashi is dead, sir. It's suicide, she leapt from the Stone Faces."

 **~End~**


	6. Chapter Six

**We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies (Martin Luther King Jr).** **  
**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Six**

The announcement had hit several jonin in the village pretty hard. Anko was always considered to be a valued member of the village. Her past was filled with tragic occurrences, but nobody treated her any differently, they thought of her as her own person. Nobody in the room knew that she had been suffering so much pain all of this time. It made them feel awful like they had failed their comrade. If they had just seen the signs this would have never happened.

Surprisingly, the death had hit Ibiki Morino that hardiest. He had developed a personal fondness for the snake summoning sadist. He was too introverted to tell her, but he really valued her presence in his life. If only he hadn't been so against bonds and social interaction. He could have been the friend that prevented all of this from happening.

"Who do we think was responsible?" Kakashi asked, much to everyone's surprise. The incident was a suicide, right?

"What do you mean?" Asuma Sarutobi asked in his deep voice. "This was a suicide."

The Hokage's son was a chronic smoker. He could always be found with a cigarette in his mouth. Nobody missed the fact that Kurenai hated his habit. It made their 'secret' relationship fairly obvious. Who would be more irritated about someone's smoking habit than their girlfriend?

"That's right, it was," Kakashi clarified. "However, I believe that someone was involved. Anko was a trained ninja. If she were pushed, she would have been able to save herself. Her autopsy showed that there were no drugs, alcohol or poison in her system either. So there is only one other rational option, genjutsu."

Kakashi looked towards Kurenai, apparently wanting her expert opinion. She was the most skilled genjutsu user in the village. Therefore, she would likely possess the greatest amount of knowledge on the subject. Maybe she would be able to tell if Anko was under genjutsu.

"I don't think so," Kurenai answered the unasked question. "I've been on missions with Anko before, and she said that if she was ever put under a genjutsu a small snake summon would bite her and release it. Putting her under genjutsu would require an extraordinary amount of skill."

"Which leaves only one other possibility, manipulation."

The three jonin looked up and saw the legendary Shikaku Nara standing before their table. They all stood and gave slight nods of respect, after all, this man was a clan head. However, he lazily waved it off and asked them to sit back down. He then took a seat next to Kakashi.

"I'm supposed to be out getting home supplies right now," he said. "So don't tell my wife that I was here."

Asuma and Kakashi chuckled while Kurenai rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but there was obvious amusement behind the gesture. It was common knowledge that Shikaku's wife ruled their household with an iron fist. To think the revered genius Shikaku Nara was afraid of his wife's wrath, it was rather amusing.

Shikaku was never a very sociable person, even by Nara Clan standards. He preferred solving puzzles and mysteries over most things. He even figured he wasn't that great of a father. If it wasn't for the fact that his son, Shikamaru, was also a genius he probably wouldn't even be able to converse with the kid. Shikaku Nara was not made to be a family man, he was meant to use his brain to solve problems, preferably challenging ones. And there was no brain in the village as impressive as his, at least until now. Perhaps this intruder could rival him in intelligence and present a real challenge to the Head of the Nara Clan?

"If you don't mind me asking, Shikaku-sama, what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked respectfully.

"Enough with the 'sama' stuff. We're all on the equal footing at the moment while trying to solve this mystery," Shikaku responded.

Shikaku definitely felt sorry about Anko's death, but a part of him was excited. On his way to the restaurant Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma were currently occupying he had gone over the file. Most would mistake the perpetrator as a psychopath, but he wasn't, at least not in the traditional sense. Whoever this person was, they weren't compelled to do anything. They were and are in one hundred percent control of their actions at all times. Furthermore, they have no particular M.O. (modus operandi).

"Kakashi," the clan head said, getting the masked jonin's attention. "Since you're the one who found the crime scene in the tower, I looked through your mission records. One mission, in particular, caught my attention."

"The mission involving the murderous pirates, am I correct?" Kakashi asked. "Are you seeing a connection?"

"Other than the fact that you and the members of your team were present during both that mission and these murders, yeah," Shikaku responded. "You said that a third party was paying the pirates to commit murder on his behalf. His goal was to kill a single individual, and he had one hundred and three other people killed just to hide that fact."

Asuma and Kurenai's eyes widened upon hearing that, and they both straightened their posture. They had never heard about this mission from Kakashi before.

"Furthermore," Shikaku continued. "He captured the leader of the pirates he had hired, Suto Yuji, and rigged him with an explosive trap. A trap that killed Suto and 57 other people. Including the leaders of the port city and a large number of the town's police force. For several days before order was restored by Konoha shinobi, the small town devolved into violence and looting because authority had been removed. This person wanted to kill their target and also demonstrate the worst humanity has to offer at the same time."

"Who the hell is this guy?" Asuma asked. Clearly, a little rattled by this new information.

"I believe that whoever orchestrated those murders in involved in these as well," Shikaku continued, ignoring the comment. "The same level of skill and intelligence is there, but there is one common thing that both of these crimes have in common."

The other jonin at the table was practically on the edge of their seats waiting for him to tell them what he meant.

"The evil. Both of these crimes are pure evil. Never before have I looked at pictures of a crime scene or gone over the information of a case and not felt the emotions of the perpetrator. These crimes had no anger, no passion, no regret, no arousal, nothing."

"We're shinobi, we see and do plenty of stuff that would be considered evil." Asuma countered.

"Humans commit heinous acts for money, fame, revenge, love, power, nationalism, etc. However, none of these actions are evil for the simple fact that regardless of how disturbing or vile they are, to an extent, we can empathize with them. Evil is doing something that is not understandable. There are no rational motives for an evil act. They are distinctly inhuman. It is for this reason that I think the word evil is vastly overused."

"The act of killing the former head of the Fire Country's Ministry of Health, Mura Ichiyo, is the only action by this individual that has any discernible motive, and we don't even know that motive yet. Everything else is as inhuman as it gets." He continued after the three jonin seemed to process what he said. "However, I'm sure that if we do further investigating we will find many other murders just like this. And if we could expand that investigation out of the Land of Fire, we'd find even more. I believe that we are dealing with a monster here. A type of monster that we have never seen before."

"It is for this reason that I believe this particular monster is the one who talked Anko-san into jumping off the Stone Faces."

The three jonin all looked at one another after listening to Shikaku's words. Things just got serious.

 **~Break~**

(The Previous Evening)

Kabuto had been tailing the masked Anbu he believed to be Naruto Uzumaki for what felt like hours. The boy didn't do anything. He had no routine, no hobbies, and he didn't have any contact with his followers either. Even Orochimaru-sama was more human than this kid.

The boy began to scale the Hokage mountain. And Kabuto noticed that he wasn't the only person tailing the blonde Uzumaki. Funny enough, it was his master's former student, Anko Mitarashi. He was amused when he found out the woman was stupid enough to think she could defeat Orochimaru-sama. Now she thought she could handle this blonde-haired monster? She was having a terrible week.

The two people began talking, he could barely make out what they were saying, but it was evident that Naruto was torturing her with his words. This made Kabuto chuckle, much like Orochimaru-sama, it seemed that the blonde was very good at destroying the weak minded.

Kabuto perked up when he noticed Anko walking very slowly towards the Uzumaki. Naruto didn't move in the slightest or even look towards her as she had brought herself next to him. She stood next to the blonde for several moments, and Kabuto felt his heart threatening to burst from his chest. He hadn't felt this tense in years.

Then, much to his surprise, the woman threw herself off the Hokage Stone Faces. Kabuto was in a shocked silence as he watched her careen towards the ground. When she finally reached it, he was too far up to hear the impact, but he was sure it was a dull thud. The medic-nin in him told him that she died instantly upon hitting the ground.

He looked back up to the Uzumaki who hadn't moved an inch, even after Anko had jumped. He figured the blonde would have at least wanted to watch her die. Kabuto had dealt with psychopaths before, and they often preferred to see their victims die. They took a sick pleasure in it. Murder didn't make a person a psychopath. For example, if Orochimaru-sama were to dissect a man he would take no particular pleasure in the act. No, his master was merely numb to the act of killing at this point. He committed his atrocious acts because by doing so he was obtaining knowledge, and by extension, power. For this reason, his master was not a psychopath.

As Kabuto was watching the blond, the boy began to slowly turn his head. It was too late when Kabuto noticed that the Uzumaki was turning in his direction. He looked right into Kabuto's eyes and had a sinister smile and half-lidded gaze. It was as if he was daring him to make a move.

The entire situation had frozen Kabuto in his place. Never before had he felt so afraid. When looking into the eyes of this boy, he felt as though he was looking into hell itself. Before now he thought the phrase 'pure evil' was idiotic. But now he felt as though it was created for the sole purpose of describing this boy. Chillingly, the boy hadn't moved or blinked at all during the entire exchange.

Kabuto felt as though the only was this would end is if he were to flee. He finally found the strength and courage to do so and fled the area immediately. He wished he had never seen what he had just seen. It would affect him for the rest of his life. He wished he had never seen that monster.

 **~Break~**

Mito was training in the water walking exercise. The perverted old dude had done her a favor and removed the Five Pronged Seal that affected her chakra control. Kakashi-sensei had assigned her to train with Ebisu-sensei, but he got into a confrontation with the perverted old man and was wrecked. The Pervy Sage had summoned a bear-sized toad and knocked the sunglasses-wearing man unconscious. Afterward, she convinced the man to teach her, since he knocked out her instructor.

She had been training vigorously in order to get over the tragedy of her friend's death. The pain she had felt had yet to fully leave. She had been best friends with Hinata for a good five years. However, a part of her was relieved about her sadness. She had always been worried that the many tragedies in her life would make her emotionally numb.

She had to admit, as she was learning from the man she was getting much stronger. However, when he started talking about the Kyuubi, the mood shifted. She wasn't stupid, she had figured out what she was. After she had attacked Sasuke in a blind rage and saw the enormous beast in her mind, she went to the library and studied. She learned about jinchuuriki and how and why they came to be. The last nail in the coffin was when she saw the seal on her abdomen during training.

However, this man was talking about controlling the Kyuubi's power. Was that even possible? To control power of such magnitude seemed impossible. She remembered how she felt while under the influence of its chakra. She was unable to control herself and was incredibly violent. However, the man she now called Jiraiya-sensei said that her female Uzumaki blood would assist in the process. They began the process of unlocking her Adamantine Sealing Chains, at least that's what he called them.

On the side, she started learning the Summoning Jutsu. After a few days of training and being tossed into a ravine she was able to use the Kyuubi's chakra to summon the Toad Boss, Gamabunta. Encountering the Kyuubi was a terrifying experience. However, they reached a sort of accord. It would allow her to utilize its chakra, but the ease in which the beast agreed caused her to worry. She would be wary and would only use the chakra when she needed to.

Regardless of the progress she made with the summoning jutsu, she hadn't made any progress with the Adamantine Sealing Chains. However, Jiraiya-sensei told her that it was normal for it to take a while. He said the wait would be worth it and that the chains would be an invaluable ability.

The main reason she wanted to learn how to use them was that apparently, they would allow her to suppress and contain the Kyuubi if it ever acted up. If she couldn't control the monster inside of her then how could she allow herself to live within society? She would be a threat to innocent civilians and children.

She had to clear her mind of such thoughts, the Third Stage would be arriving soon.

 **~Break~**

"Again," Kakashi said as he was training Sasuke. The Uchiha was learning the Chidori, and he was taking to it rather quickly. He truly was a prodigy, it was so easy to teach him. Mito was very talented as well, but Sasuke quickly understood concepts that Mito would take a little longer to figure out. And apparently, Minato-sensei's son was even more talented than both of them.

As he was constantly pursuing this monster, he felt as though he was doing poorly in his search for Naruto. How could he find Naruto if he was seemingly more worried about catching the psychopath responsible for all of these murders? Had he subconsciously given up hope? Much like with Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei, and Kushina-san, he had failed Naruto as well. Regardless, he felt that with every day that passed he felt less and less terrible about what happened to his sensei's son.

He looked down at Sasuke working hard and realized why. He had, for the first time in a long time, created new bonds. Team 7 had become precious to him, and he wouldn't be surprised if they were his most precious people. He cares for Sasuke because he can relate to his loss and prodigious skill. He is fond of Mito for her kindness and understanding nature. And he cares for Sakura because, despite her inferior talent compared to her two teammates, she isn't resentful at all. She tries to find ways to be useful rather than means to get made at her teammates. He wondered how Naruto would have fit into this picture that was becoming his new life?

 **~Break~**

Sasuke could feel it. The new power coursing through his veins. Through the use of the Sharingan Kakashi had made him copy Rock Lee's taijutsu style and trained him to match the boy's speed as well. It would only make him more deadly in battle. He was on his way to being powerful enough to defeat his brother. He frowned as he thought of the man that ruined his life in a single evening.

He had been thinking less and less of his brother and his revenge lately. His mind was constantly clouded with feelings of camaraderie with his new teammates. Had his drive for revenge lessened? If so, to him, that was unacceptable. He could care for his teammates and make friends, but that would always need to be a secondary goal to his real mission. He couldn't let Itachi live, there likely wasn't a more despicable human being skulking the earth with his brother still around. He owed it to himself, his clan, and the world to kill the traitorous murderer.

Perhaps Mito had changed him? Ever since he began spending more and more time with her, he had started feeling different. He cared for her very much, they had a special bond. He cared about his other teammates too, but with Mito it was different. They understood one another by experiencing similar pain. Usually, someone in Sasuke's position would compare the severity of the tragedies in his and Mito's lives and put his own suffering above hers. However, Sasuke wasn't one to compare the scope of the pain in a person's life. No, he merely compared the feeling of loss itself.

While thinking about Mito, he began to think about her brother. He hadn't seen the blonde Uzumaki in years, but his entire existence seemed to be shrouded in mystery. Why had he been sent to Orphanage 8 and why was he missing? He couldn't help but recall their conversation from seven years ago. The boy was able to read him like an open book, and it unnerved him at the time. He felt that the boy's intelligence and prodigious ability reminded him of Itachi and it made him resent him. But now that he could think about it rationally, it was impressive.

Naruto was the best at everything during his tenure at the Academy. He was the best academically, the best at shurikenjutsu, the best at taijutsu, the best at ninjutsu and genjutsu. He was the fastest and most agile person in the class, but also the quietest. Sasuke had even heard the Instructors mentioning having Naruto skip a few years and graduate earlier. It only served to motivate him to increase his own strength, so he was grateful to the blonde for that.

It was these thoughts that brought him to believe that if Mito ever requested help in finding Naruto, he would assist her. Mostly for Mito, but also out of gratitude for Naruto. On top of being a good motivation for Sasuke during his developing years, he couldn't help but notice how much Naruto cared for Mito. That was how a real brother should be, not a murdering psychopath like Itachi. Naruto always put Mito's needs before his own, he remembered how all the other girls in class thought it was cute. However, he saw the way Naruto looked at Mito, it was the same way Itachi used to look at Sasuke when he thought he wasn't looking. It was a look of pure, honest, sibling-love. Unlike Itachi's, however, Sasuke felt that Naruto's feelings were actually genuine.

Sasuke looked up at the large drill-like marks he had left on the stone in front of him. He had mastered the Chidori and was feeling very good about himself. Who knew he had such a high affinity for lightning? Now he was like Mito and had two affinities. Not to mention they both had a foreign chakra deep within them that clouded their minds. And they also both had tragic backstories. The similarities were all there.

He thought back to what Itachi had said the night of the massacre. He said to awaken the Uchiha's true power one must kill that for how they hold the most love. However, he couldn't see a world where he killed Mito, even if it did help him kill Itachi. His eyes widened, and his body froze in shock at his thought. Was Mito really that important to him? After that, there was no doubting it anymore, Mito Uzumaki was his best friend.

 **~Break~**

Mother was being much more rowdy than usual. Typically, she would demand that he kill someone at least three to four times a day. However, since the Chunin Exams had begun the demands skyrocketed. He wasn't surprised, with all the opponents available for him there were much more opportunities to satisfy Mother's bloodlust.

Whenever he killed a person, the constant voice in his head would be quelled. He had killed so many people over his young life that he had lost track of the number of victims. Usually, the people that he killed were trying to kill him first. When he was younger many people attempted to take his life, and his sand would murder them in self-defense.

As he was walking along a dark dirt path near a particularly large forest in Konoha, he saw a person. The boy was roughly his age and was blonde. As Gaara was within reaching distance of the other boy he was frozen in awe. The closer he got to this boy the quieter and quieter Mother's voice became. It had gotten to the point that for the first time in a long time he couldn't hear her voice at all. Was this boy divine?

The beautiful blonde didn't say a word as Gaara was staring intently into his eyes. However, he began to slowly lean down and pick something off of the ground. Gaara watched every one of his movements with a transfixed gaze. Never before had he seen such a person. If this figure could even be called a person. Was he sent by God to silence the voice in his head once and for all?

Eventually, the blonde found what he was looking for. It was a small branch that had likely fallen off of one of the trees. Gaara watched intently as this angel began writing something on the dirt road with the stick. He didn't know why, but he could not wait to see what it was the boy was trying to tell him.

After the figure had finished writing, he began looking at Gaara once more. Gaara looked down towards the message and read it over for what felt like one hundred times. Oddly enough, it wasn't really a message. In fact, it was just a name. Gaara immediately knew what he had to do. He began walking away from the figure with a new mission in his mind. A mission that was greater than any Mother had ever given him. He began to ponder the name that was written in the dirt as he made his way back to the village.

'Sasuke Uchiha,' he repeatedly chanted in his mind.

 **~Break~**

Today was the day in which the Third Stage of the Chunin Exams would finally take place. Many people from all over Fire Country and the rest of the Elemental Nations were in attendance. The Chunin Exams was one of the most popular events in all of the Elemental Nations. And Konoha was the strongest shinobi village in existence, so it was normal that this exam would be more popular than it normally would be in another village.

Up in what would be considered the VIP section of the stadium a rather inconspicuous looking group was waiting for the exams to begin. They all wore expensive looking clothing. Mostly consisting of Kimono's crafted from the finest possible materials. Among these rich and powerful looking men, there were many intimidating looking shinobi guards.

"So," one said. "The girl is participating in this tournament?

He was bald and wore a pair of small round glasses. His eyes were black, and he had a narrow nose. He had an appearance that would best be described as intellectual. He wore an elegant white silk kimono and currently had his nose in a book. He was actually a psychology professor, one of the most respected in his entire field. His name was Osamu Takagi.

"That's right," another answered. "It's a shame that Hiroshi-dono could not make it. Considering his history with the girl I thought that he would desire to see her progress. And if only Ichiyo weren't such a coward, he would have enjoyed this as well. But now he is dead, a pity."

The one who answered was rather old. His hair was ragged and gray, and his skin was beginning to wrinkle. He was a man with an athletic, and he had what would be described sharp facial features. His kimono was a very light-blue and just as elegant as Osamu's. His name was Takahiro Tetsuo, and he was the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Land of Fire, making him one of the most powerful men in the country.

"Who cares about Hiroshi? He never feels the need to grace us with his presence anyway," the last of the three men commented.

He was younger than the other two, as he was in his early to mid-forties. He had long brown hair that he would keep in a ponytail. He wore a dark blue kimono that was just as high quality as his peers. He was the right hand of Mura Ichiyo before the man's death at the hands of vicious pirates. He was named Ryouta Kenji, and he was the new Head of the Ministry of Health for the Land of Fire.

"Are we sure that the boy values this girl?" Ryouta continued. "From what I've heard the Uzumaki boy holds no love or care for anything or anyone."

"He cares for her," Osamu answered. "But it is likely in a way that none of us could ever understand. If we manage to get our hands on the girl, we will be able to lure him to us."

"However, we must be patient," Takahiro stated with authority. "Now is not the time to make a move. We are merely here to observe."

 **~Break~**

All of the Third Stage participants were currently in the battle area of the stadium. The Proctor, Hayate Gekko, was informing them of the rules and regulations of the Final Stage. Sasuke almost didn't make it in time, but he had decided he did not wish to fall into his sensei's footsteps and be tardy.

He had changed his attire. He wore a black, one-piece version of this usual attire with many small belts adorning his left arm and similar bands around both legs. He was never one for worrying too much about his clothing, but his previous outfit had been damaged beyond repair during training.

He couldn't help but notice the strange way his opponent was staring at him. He knew that Gaara was very unstable, but the look he was receiving from the redhead was particularly malicious. Typically, Gaara hid his bloodlust with a layer of stoicism. However, he was currently openly giving Sasuke a look that promised a painful death. He was honestly surprised that Gaara wasn't drooling in excitement at this point.

He had become stronger, but he wasn't going to be arrogant. He knew that if he had fought Rock Lee during the preliminaries and the spandex wearing teen opened the Eight Gates, he would have easily been defeated as he had been. But Gaara was not only able to win, but he was able to do so without sustaining any major injuries. Sasuke had grown exponentially in the past month, but Gaara was probably the most powerful person currently participating in the Chunin Exams. He'd need to be careful.

He had no doubt that Mito would defeat Neji. It would be a difficult fight for her, no doubt. But Mito had a unique ability to obliterate any and all obstacles in her path. Sometimes he wished he possessed her seemingly unbreakable will. To him, it was perhaps something even his brother wouldn't be able to stand against. Nobody would be able to.

As Gaara was staring at him the boy's smile widened even more and his smile became even more vicious. Sasuke finally decided to respond to the staring and began to stare back. It was a big mistake it seemed because the redhead began to almost hyperventilate in excitement. Sasuke activated his Sharingan in response. He noticed that the crowd was watching the interaction with excitement. Seeing such dislike between the two opponents would only lead to a more competitive fight.

Mito placed her hand on his shoulder, perhaps in an attempt to calm his nerves. But he wasn't afraid, he decided that the incident with Orochimaru would be the last time he would allow himself to be scared. If he couldn't face this psychopath how could he even hope to face Itachi? Itachi wasn't scary because he wore his deranged emotions on his sleeve. He was terrifying because he showed nothing. You could only try to imagine what was going on in his brother's sick mind.

Mito's match would be first. Then Shikamaru would fight the blonde girl from Suna. Afterward, Shino would be fighting the puppet-boy. And then finally, the fight everyone had been waiting for. The last surviving member of the Uchiha Clan against the unstoppable monster from Suna.

 **~Break~**

"Hokage-dono," the Kazekage, Rasa, said as he took a seat next to the Third Hokage. The man wore the typical robes of the Kazekage and kept his face covered with a veil. Hiruzen absentmindedly thought that if his face began to get anymore wrinkled, he'd start wearing one as well.

The Kazekage was notorious for being strict and for lack of a better word, a hardass. Hiruzen had trouble being civil with the man. Anyone who sent assassins to kill his son was relatively difficult to like. The reason Gaara was the way he is was entirely due to his father's negligence. He supposed he had little right to talk about neglecting his son, considering how little time he spent with Asuma. But at least his actions hadn't made his child a murderous psychopath.

"Kazekage-dono," he said with a polite smile, masking his disdain entirely. The only Kage more irritating than Rasa was the Fourth Raikage, A.

Hiruzen glanced over towards the Kazekage and began to get a suspicious feeling. He couldn't gather enough information to discover what it was he was feeling, but it was unnerving. Perhaps his old age was finally beginning to dull his senses? He didn't want to become a hobbled Kage like Onoki.

The two Kage barely exchanged any words as the first match was about to begin.

 **~Break~**

Mito was on the receiving end of a vicious glare from her opponent. It seemed that Neji was trying to find an outlet for his anger and had chosen Mito. She wouldn't hold back in the wake of the tragedy of Hinata's death. Hinata would want her to fight with all her might and succeed. She was going to demolish Neji for that very reason.

As the beginning of the match was announced, nobody moved for several seconds. However, Neji activated his Byakugan immediately. It seemed that he wouldn't be underestimating her. She would do her best to do the same for him.

She weaved through a quick set of hand signs, and multiple water clones rose from the ground. They immediately charged the Hyuga prodigy and began their assault. She wanted to gauge Neji's fighting style first hand. Using water clones was more efficient on her chakra pools than shadow clones were. Not that she was trying to conserve her chakra this fight. No, she was just being patient.

Her questions regarding Neji's abilities were answered as he obliterated her clones in rapid succession. Not a single one of his movements were wasted. He had already gained such an impressive grasp of the Hyuga's gentle fist style. It wouldn't be long before he was undoubtedly the most powerful member of his clan.

She was forced to jump when he darted towards her with blistering speed. As she was in the air, she created two shadow clones and tossed them down towards her opponent. She landed on the ground right as he was in the process of finishing off her second clone. She weaved through a set of hand seals and announced her jutsu.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave," she yelled.

As she did, a torrent of water began to explode out of her mouth. The amount of water expelled would be enough to crush a person to death. The water formed a massive wave that was veering towards the Hyuga prodigy. She knew this jutsu wouldn't be the way she defeated Neji. It was, however, the first step she would need to take in doing so. Every one of her moves during this match would have a purpose.

She performed the jutsu because it would cover the entire battle arena in water for the remainder of their match. She would now be able to use her water style ninjutsu faster and with greater ease. Also, Neji would need to expel more chakra dodging the continuous waves created by her jutsu. As of this moment, Neji was at a huge disadvantage. It had become her match to lose.

 **~Break~**

The match had proceeded several more minutes after she used her powerful water style jutsu. It hadn't managed to defeat Neji, but it had kept him on his toes for the entirety of its activity. She'd have to thank Jiraiya-sensei for granting her access to a wide area of ninjutsu scrolls. Water style ninjutsu was quickly becoming her calling card and preferred mode of attack. It helped that she was the most prodigious water style user since the Second Hokage. A fact that would likely irritate the Kirigakure to no end.

Not to be seen as a one trick pony she began to launch wind bullets at her opponent. However, it was difficult to hit someone who had three hundred sixty degree x-ray vision. He finally went on the attack after he jumped within range of her. He began releasing a barrage of gentle fist strikes that she was thankfully able to avoid. Three water clones rose from the water to attack him, but they were destroyed as quickly as they appeared.

She was launched back as Neji made a quick palm thrust and she was knocked back by what felt like a compressed air bullet. "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" he said in the midst of his attack.

All the Hyuga Clan members in attendance were shocked at what they were seeing. A Branch Member was performing Main Branch jutsu as if they were child's play. Even some of the more advanced fighters in the clan were unable to utilize the Vacuum Palm. How skilled was this child?

Mito was reeling after the attack. It felt as if she had run directly into a mountain. Neji performed the technique once more, with the thrust leaving a trail in the water as it approached her at neck breaking speeds. She managed to dodge but was surprised when Neji was standing right before her. She was unable to move before he launched his attack.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms," he said as he got into the typical gentle fist stance. Before she could blink he began teeing off on her. With each strike, his attack got progressively faster. As the attack hit her, she started to feel the internal damage. Eventually, he announced the sixty-fourth strike and she was launched back.

She attempted to use her chakra but found that she was unable to. So this was the result of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms? It was indeed a technique to be feared.

"These eyes of mine show me many things. The one thing they've shown me, people's limitations are set, fixed and unchangeable. Only a fool wastes their time trying to become something they never can be," Neji said. "Attempting to defy fate is useless. You are cursed with the fate of losing here today. Just as Hinata-sama was cursed with the fate of death."

The amount of grief and resentment in his voice was palpable. It was evident that Hinata's death had hit him very hard. Up within the crowd, Hiashi lowered his head in grief as he heard his nephew's words. He noticed that his youngest daughter, Hanabi, was clenching her fists in anger. The death of his oldest daughter had taken its toll on the entire clan.

"If you hadn't given her such a false sense of confidence she wouldn't have died," Neji continued with a growl, holding back tears.

"Shut up," Mito whispered.

"If you weren't stupid enough to think that someone could defy their place in the world, Hinata-sama would still be here today!" the Hyuga Branch Member yelled in what he felt was righteous anger.

"Shut up!" Mito yelled as red chakra began to flood her pathways.

Neji's Byakugan eyes widened at the sudden occurrence. He had never seen such powerful and dense chakra. And it was reopening her chakra pathways! This was absurd, nobody could negate the effects of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Nobody could defy their fate!

Mito had not let the Kyuubi's chakra influence her. Her appearance had not changed, and she was in complete control of her actions. She weaved through an extensive array of hand signs. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A giant dragon of water rose from the water. It was immense in size and had bright yellow glowing eyes. It hurled itself towards the Hyuga prodigy at a speed that was too fast to dodge. The boy's eyes widened as he saw only one option available to him.

"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation," he yelled in desperation. After releasing chakra from every point in his body, he began spinning at a blinding speed, this created a dome of protective chakra that deflected Mito's attack. He began to pant in relief once he realized he was safe. This girl was definitely powerful.

"As you can see," he said. "Your efforts are useless. One's fate is the only certainty in their lives, that and death. Death is the only way one can escape their fate. Continuing to fight me today will only result in you escaping your fate forever. Then you will know how Hinata-sama felt in her final moments, as she was looking into your eyes."

Mito charged at her opponent, and he prepared for her approach. This would be the last exchange.

She cocked her arm back and began focusing the red chakra of the Kyuubi into her fist. Her opponent began to activate his rotation technique. Time seemed to slow as their attacks approached one another. This would be it, this would be the end of their fight.

As Mito's attack approached Neji's spinning defense, he felt something grab his ankles. He looked down and noticed a pair of water clone hands gripping his ankles. How could he not have noticed?! How could he have been so foolish?!

As the hands gripped his ankles his spinning began to slow, weakening his defense. Mito's attack struck and met a small amount of resistance from the now weakened shield. She eventually broke through and made contact with Neji's face. The Hyuga channeled chakra to his cheek to lessen the damage, but it could only do so much.

He was immediately knocked back with enough force to kill an ordinary man. If not for his defense and him channeling chakra to his skin he would have been instantly unconscious. However, the strike had damaged him severely. He would be out of commission for several hours.

As he was lying on the ground, unable to move, his opponent stood in front of him. He barely raised is head in order to glare at her but was shocked to see that she was crying. For what reason was she crying?

"Hinata told me about you, Neji," Mito said. "She told me about your childhood and about your father."

The Hyuga Branch Member cringed at the unwelcome memory.

"She told me of the suffering endured by the Branch House. And she told me of your anger."

Neji once again glared at his opponent. Annoyed that she was bringing up Hinata and his father.

"And you know what? She cried for you, Neji. She cried real tears for the suffering of you and your fellows," Mito said.

Neji's eyes widened upon hearing this news. However, deep down he wasn't surprised. Hinata had always been a kind soul. It took a lot out of him to hate her, and upon seeing her death, he realized the value he held for her. He loved her like family.

"Her dream was to break the boundaries of the Hyuga Clan and to erase the pain and anger from your heart. That was her dream, Neji! So will you continue to live in rage? Or will you rise up from this defeat and achieve what she always dreamed of?"

At this point, Neji was unable to keep the tears flowing from his eyes. He silently wept in front of all the onlookers and cared little about their gazes. He looked up at the sky and saw two birds flying in the heavens.

'Is that you?' he asked himself. 'Is that you flying free, father, Hinata-sama?'

He watched his opponent leaving the battle ground and saw the medics approaching him with a stretcher. As this was happening, he came to a decision. He would live his life to fulfill Hinata-sama's dream. He would create his own destiny, in her honor.

 **~Break~**

The next match was actually entertaining. Shikamaru was able to prove his cunning; however, he forfeited the match before he could win. It was a move typical for a Nara, so nobody that had personal knowledge of the clan wasn't surprised. Shikamaru forfeiting when he had the upper hand was the most Nara thing anybody had ever seen.

The crowd was immediately irritated when the next match never occurred. The puppet user, Kankuro, forfeited his match before it could even begin. Shino was definitely an opponent to be feared but to this extent? Nobody was more irritated than Shino. However, as usual, he didn't let it show.

It seemed that it was now Sasuke's turn to fight. While watching Mito fight Neji he was almost trembling with excitement. Soon he would be able to test his strength against a seemingly unbeatable opponent. It was fights like this that would prepare him for the day in which he faced Itachi. He knew that Itachi was on an entirely different level then Gaara. If he couldn't defeat this psychopath, then he had no hope of killing Itachi.

He began making his way towards the battle ground. He waited for several moments, and his opponent appeared across from him in a sand-shunshin. The redhead was trembling in excitement and looked ready to commit murder. The Proctor realized that if he waited too long, Gaara would simply attack early. To prevent that, he skipped the formalities and started the match.

Shockingly, as the fight began Gaara didn't immediately attack. Everyone watching was leaning forwards in anticipation. This was the fight they had all paid to see. The other two fights were entertaining, no doubt. But this was the last living member of the Uchiha Clan. Seeing him fight would be a once in a lifetime experience.

"I always thought that I was a monster," Gaara suddenly said, surprising Sasuke.

"But a real monster appeared before me. And he asked for only one thing," Gaara continued with a psychotic grin.

Sand began pouring out of his gourd and swirling around him. He was the perfect picture of chaos. Sasuke knew that if he were to win this fight, he would need to be smart. Trying to out power Gaara at his current level would be a foolish mistake. This battle would require finesse, skill, and strategy.

"HE ASKED FOR YOUR DEATH!" Gaara screamed psychotically. "SASUKE UCHIHA!"

And so it would begin.

 **~End~**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you (Friedrich Nietzsche).**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Seven**

Sasuke dodged a massive wave of sand that was no doubt intended to take his life. Gaara didn't fight to incapacitate like most of the competitors in this tournament; he fought to kill. This battle was odd for Sasuke, as he was used to fighting mobile opponents. However, Gaara hadn't moved an inch since the match began. He simply stood in place and directed his sand from a distance.

The redhead boy had finally calmed down and now had his typical stoic expression. That didn't make Sasuke feel any safer, in fact, it made him feel much worse. Gaara was now thinking more clearly, well, as clearly as a psychopath could. It wouldn't be as simple as taking advantage of a deranged boy's lunacy. He would now be fighting a calm and collected cerebral killer. Good, he wouldn't want it to be too easy.

Sasuke unleashed a handful or shuriken at his opponent, already knowing it wouldn't work. A wall of sand blocked the shuriken and Sasuke flashed behind Gaara in blinding speed. He delivered a swift kick that launched his opponent back. However, the redhead was caught by his sand, and the sand-armor he had over his skin prevented any damage to his body.

Nevertheless, all former candidates in the Chunin Exams were surprised by Sasuke's sudden increase in speed. In a month, he achieved a level of speed comparable to that of Rock Lee. However, while his speed was equal to that of bowl-haired genin, his conditioning wasn't nearly as advanced. He wouldn't be able to maintain these quick bursts of speed for as long as Lee could.

Sasuke weaved through a string of hand signs and compresses a large amount of chakra into his chest.

'Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu,' a dragon head-shaped fireball was soon launched at his opponents. This jutsu was stronger than the regular Fireball Jutsu. This technique was used for the purpose of testing the Limits of Gaara's defense. He already knew that he was faster than the sand, but he didn't know how resistant the sand-shield was against powerful jutsu.

Gaara's ultimate defense was able to protect him from any damage. This told Sasuke that regular ninjutsu and mid to long range fighting would be useless against this opponent. He would need to use his superior speed and get close, with the Chidori.

His opponent, likely realizing his disadvantage, began to form a dome of sand around himself. It looked thicker and much denser than the psychopath's normal sand shield. He must be putting a lot of chakra into his defense, at least more than usual.

Sasuke was able to hear the insane ramblings of his opponent from within the dome of sand. He could barely make out what they were, but he heard the deranged boy frequently addressing someone called 'Mother.' Sasuke attempted to punch his way through the defense, but it was far too strong. He was forced to jump back as spikes from the sphere tried to impale them.

As he was jumping back, he began to scale the wall of the battle arena. Once he reached the top, he began to slow his breathing. He weaved through a series of hand signs and prepared for what he believed would be the finishing move. Lightning began to form in his hand and produced a sound that could best be described as a thousand chirping birds.

He sped down the wall and darted towards the sphere, intent on piercing it with his new, most powerful, jutsu. The lightning-thrust was able to penetrate through the defense, and he felt his hand meet flesh. However, his arm was only long enough to cause a minor flesh wound.

That didn't stop the blood-curdling scream that came from inside the dome. The boy was screaming about his blood as if he had never seen it before. Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt something powerful take hold of his arm. He was unable to rip his appendage free, so he activated his Chidori once again, making his enemy scream even louder. As he pulled out of the sphere, a strange looking arm was pulled out as well. It looked to be formed of condensed sand and had sharp claws and dark blue markings. The arm fell to the ground and went back through the hole in the sphere.

He heard an ominous growl coming from the dome. In the darkness, he could just barely see a demonic-like creature, slinking around in the defense. Sasuke was soon shocked to see a demonic like eye through the hole his attack had left that made him go rigid.

The sphere began to crack and eventually returned to being seemingly regular sand once more. Surprisingly, Gaara appeared to look completely normal. He looked nothing like the strange creature Sasuke had seen in the darkness. He seemed to still be injured from Sasuke's Chidori. The redhead was gripping the bloodied wound on his right shoulder.

Sasuke was about to go finish things here and now, but the other two Suna genin jumped to Gaara's side. As this was happening all the civilians throughout the stadium began to see odd feathers floating down from the sky. They started to feel drowsy and fell asleep. A lot of the more lower ranking shinobi also fell victim to the genjutsu.

It was clear what this was. It was an attack on Konoha.

 **~Break~**

Shikaku knew that eventually, such an event would come to pass. Everyone around him was either unconscious or engaged in battle. He had come today to see his son participate in the exams, but he had ulterior motives. For some reason, he believed this 'monster' he had begun hunting would become involved. Such a person couldn't help but find a way to interfere with the Chunin Exams.

Shikaku had not stood since the assault began. He had his own duty to fulfill. He was waiting for the monster to appear. As he made that thought, he felt a presence behind him. He didn't turn around, he was sure that if he did, he would probably die. A murderer like this preferred for his face to not be seen, at least not by those considered unworthy.

He felt the tip of a kunai pointed at the base of his neck. If he were to make any sudden movements, the figure would kill him instantly. That was all right with Shikaku. You don't always need to fight to defeat an enemy.

"So," the Head of the Nara Clan began, with no fear in his voice. "You are this 'monster' that I have been hunting."

"You are not afraid," the figure stated, his voice was young but calm. "Amidst war and death, you do not feel fear. In fact, one could argue that you feel at home here."

"Is this what you do? Psychoanalyze a person and expose the darkness within them until they can't take it anymore?" Shikaku asked, sounding bored.

He figured that this was how the boy managed to get Anko-san to commit suicide. He likely exposed her dark hidden insecurities all at once. He was a bad customer, no doubt about it. Shikaku would grant him the title of S-Rank criminal just for his ruthless intelligence alone.

"It likely affects your home life," the boy said, neither confirming or denying Shikaku's words. "You are unable to function in a simple home environment. Completing menial daily tasks is a fate worse than death for you. Even if it means that people are dying, you are actually excited about my presence in the world. You enjoy the chase, in fact, it is all that you enjoy."

"What do you think when you see all this, Shikaku-san?" the hidden boy continued, gesturing to the conflict around them. "Your wife and son could be in danger, and yet, here you are, conversing with someone that you have never met. What does that say about you as a husband and father? What does that say about you as a man?"

During this whole conversation, the boy's tone never changed. It never became arrogant or accusing it was just calm and in a way, rather polite. He commented on the worst qualities of a person as if he was reading the ingredients label on a cereal box.

It was barely noticeable, but there was a slight stiffening of Shikaku's shoulders. To an ordinary person, he appeared unaffected by the figure's words. But to a trained eye, his feathers were getting ruffled. He loved his family, both his son and his wife. It was true that he wasn't an ideal family man. It was true that he was comfortable in environments of violence. But it didn't mean that he didn't love his family.

"Someone like you," Shikaku said after calming his nerves. "Understands the textbook definitions of emotions. You know how to identify specific emotions in a person, and you likely have no peer in regards to your skill. However, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you'll never know what any of those emotions feel like. You will always be alone in this vast world. Cursed to walk it while being able to understand all of those around you, but never yourself."

The blonde didn't respond to his statement, and his demeanor didn't change in the slightest. Shikaku was hoping that his words would rattle the boy. And perhaps they did, maybe the young man was just very adept at controlling his body language.

Before he could continue, his mind was flashed with many images of his family, and in all of the images, they were dead, with each image being more gruesome than the last. Was this boy doing this? Had he discovered Shikaku's greatest fear? The fear of losing his family and being powerless to stop it.

"Tell me, Shikaku-san, what do you think is the ultimate fear?" the boy asked, sounding almost as though he were reminiscing. "I really thought I'd already reached the darkest of the dark, but then, ahead of me, I beheld a darkness even greater still."

For the first time in his life, Shikaku felt overmatched. In three minutes this figure had discovered his greatest weaknesses. He was basically showing that if Shikaku attempted to pursue him any further, the Nara Clan Head would lose everything he loved. The fact that this boy was able to read him like a book, coupled with his ghostly presence and malicious undertones, had paralyzed Shikaku in absolute terror. He wasn't prepared to deal with such a being. This was beyond him.

The message was clear, just when a person thought they had seen the worst of the world they would only be exposed to something even darker. A future Shikaku would no doubt meet if he continued to tangle with this person. If he wished to catch or stop such a man he'd need to decide what was more important, his family or the thrill of the chase. He would be unable to have both.

The choice was easy for Shikaku to make and he made it the moment he'd realized the meaning behind the figures words. However, before he could say anything else the phantom disappeared instantly. He finally turned around and was greeted by an empty seat.

He'd need to meet up with Inoichi and Chouza. It was time to defend what he cared for most. But first, he'd have to calm his shaken nerves.

 **~Break~**

Mito managed to arrive just in time to save her teammate. Gaara looked like a mutated monster, and he was just about to kill Sasuke. Her Uchiha friend was paralyzed on the ground with the curse mark covering his entire body. She thought that Kakashi-sensei was able to seal the mark? Whatever he did, she guessed it didn't work.

Sakura was tending to Sasuke as Mito was standing face-to-face with Gaara. Her fellow redhead was literally drooling in anticipation for the battle that was about to begin. He must have become fascinated with her when watching the match against Neji.

In the background, she could hear Sasuke groaning in agony. From what she heard from Kakashi-sensei, the curse mark fed on the chakra of its victim when activated. If Sasuke's chakra were to go to dangerously low levels with the curse mark, it would act as a parasite.

"I was hoping I'd get to do battle with you," Gaara growled at her. "The feeling I got from your chakra made my skin tingle in anticipation."

"Be careful what you wish for," she responded. She weaved through a set of hand signs in preparation for battle.

"Water Style," she yelled. "Water Bullet!"

Before the water style jutsu was careening towards him, Gaara's whole upper body became encased in the sand. Making him no longer look like a human being, he looked like a monster. The water bullet was launched towards the seemingly demonically possessed boy.

Gaara launched a powerful blast of wind that negated Mito's water style attack. He jumped towards Mito at astonishing speed, and she was barely able to dodge. She looked over her shoulder and noticed that Gaara was able to destroy and tear through trees as if they were nothing. It was as if he was a hot knife going through butter.

"Can you feel it?" Gaara asked in an inhuman growl. "Can you feel the primal desire to kill and destroy inside of you? You can deny its presence within you all you want, but all humans have it. The monster within us all."

The two jumped towards each other once more. The real battle was only beginning.

 **~Break~**

The entirety of the civilian population of Konoha had been completely evacuated. It made it very easy for Naruto to head uninterrupted towards his destination. This entire day was the embodiment of the worst humanity had to offer. People were dying due to a conflict centered around selfishness, envy, greed, and power-lust. This is what humanity was.

Every once in a while he would come across a pair of shinobi battling with one another. Whether their reason for fighting was for nationalism, the need to protect, or self-preservation, it mattered little. They were all just excuses for them to enact their base desires. This attack would not achieve its desired effect, Konoha was much too strong. However, he didn't take part in the plan because he believed that it would succeed.

He was making his way towards the village outskirts. To the place where everything began. The place where he and his other half were nurtured into becoming what they were today. Hopefully, it would be the place with all the answers. His memories have become so faded, in fact, he had very few, if any, memories of his early years.

He finally reached his destination, Konoha Orphanage. It looked exactly the same as it always did. This is where he and Mito came to be, the prologue of their story. A story that nobody would ever read, he'd make sure of that.

Once he was in the building, he felt like he should be reminiscing, but he couldn't remember anything. His regular facial expression was gone, replaced with an emotionless face. His polite smile was an act used to hide his true self. It would be heinous if it weren't something everybody did every day.

As he was walking, he felt himself frozen to a halt. He slowly turned his head towards the thing that grasped his attention. It was a shelf, containing dozens of children's books. He walked towards it, paying little mind to anything other than it. Finally, he was able to locate the real reason for his attention.

He held the book in front of him and looked at the cover. The book was called 'The Nameless Monster', and the author was clearly using a pseudonym. He began to slowly read the contents of the book. It was a process that he felt he had done a million times during his childhood. This was probably the book he read most growing up.

Suddenly, he stopped turning the pages. If someone else were in the room with him, they would be able to notice the slight trembling of his hands. Eventually, the trembling became much more pronounced, and he was barely able to hold the book in his hands anymore.

His eyes were completely wide with tears building up, and his mouth was agape in a silent scream. Eventually, the cry became vocalized and increased with every second. During this process, he never took his eyes off of the book.

His mind was flashing with memories of his childhood. He remembered things he thought he would never be able to know about again. His scream embodied all the agony of his existence.

The book fell to the ground shortly after.

 **~Break~**

Kakashi had just finished defeating a handful of Oto-nin. They were all probably chunin-level at best, not enough to touch him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Gai was also making quick work of his opponents. He had little doubt the green-spandex wearing man was counting the number of opponents he was defeating. Everything was a challenge to Gai, and it made him perform his best at all times.

He was forced to dodge as a deadly fast figure attempted to dropkick him. As he was jumping away, he heard the cracking of the ground from where his attacker landed. It would require strength comparable to that of Gai's to be able to crack the ground. Whoever this was, they weren't chunin-level.

The man wore a plain black long sleeved shirt and black pants with shinobi sandals of the same color. All of which was covered underneath a hooded black cloak. The figure had their hood down, so Kakashi was able to see their face. He had a strong jawline, slicked back brown hair, and small black eyes. He had a very lazy demeanor, similar to that of a Nara.

"If it isn't Kakashi Hatake," the man said in an equally lazy voice. "It seems that I've come across an interesting person."

Kakashi knew that such a person could not be reasoned with, so he prepared to fight. The lazy looking man had a very malicious chakra that would likely terrify a lesser man. However, he was no such man. He weaved through a set of hand signs.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," he said. The large fireball was launched towards his enemy, but it was dodged.

As fast as one could blink the man was behind Kakashi, prepared to crack his skull. Kakashi countered by quickly turning his body and jabbing a kunai towards the man's face. The attack struck; however, the knife bounced off of the man's skin like it was trying to stab stone.

"Ouch, that hurt, Kakashi-san," the man said with a lazy smile. "I am called Daichi, I hope that we can have fun."

 **~Break~**

The cloaked-man knew he had found his target when he saw the fire. He had been darting through the village for what felt like hours during his search. When traversing the village outskirts, he could smell a faint burning of wood. As he got closer, he could feel the heat on his skin. He exited the tree line and finally came across his destination.

Konoha Orphanage was completely up in flames. Standing before the fire, was the person he was looking for. The boy was wearing the armor of a Konoha Anbu and looked to be relatively relaxed. He didn't seem to notice the cloaked man's presence and was transfixed on the inferno before him.

However, the boy slowly turned his head towards the cloaked-man and gave him a small smile. This was the monster he had been fighting against for all of this time, this was Naruto Uzumaki. He had never seen the boy before and had spent the past two years reacting to the actions of this child. However, it was time to put an end to this, here and now.

"Shisui-san," Naruto greeted, identifying the cloaked man.

The cloaked-man, no revealed to be Shisui Uchiha, weaved through multiple hand signs and launched a fireball at the blonde monster. The attack was dodged, and then he was forced to go on the defensive. Multiple wooden roots erupted from the ground and attempted to grab hold of him. This kid could utilize Wood Style? His question was answered when the blonde used his next jutsu.

"Wood Style: Nativity of a World of Trees," he heard Naruto say from behind him. Shisui turned around and noticed that the boy's eyes were glowing a bright blue.

He managed to use his signature shunshin to avoid being crushed by the forest that was being spawned before him. As he did so, he saw many boulders of molten rock being launched towards him. He twisted in mid-air and was able to avoid any damage. He saw that the boulders had no trouble going through the trees, which showed him that if he were to be hit by one, he'd most definitely die. It was moments like this that he wished he still had his Mangekyo Sharingan.

The fight went on for several more minutes. It consisted of Shisui defending himself against a plethora of ninjutsu attack. He was forced to contend against many Wood Release jutsu and even the occasional Lava Release jutsu. He wondered if the blonde boy had access to other nature based kekkai genkai techniques? He immediately shook off the thought, he had bigger problems on his hands.

During this entire fight, he was unable to identify the location of his opponent. The forest the blonde had created around them created plenty of possible hiding places. Suddenly, multiple shurikens were thrown at Shisui with pinpoint accuracy. He lowered his body and watched as the projectiles soared over his head. Where was the boy? As he was thinking that, he was surprised to see the shuriken changed their trajectory and that they were coming back towards him.

Shisui leaped up and was able to dodge the clever attack. He activated his implanted Sharingan and saw that Naruto's was manipulating the shuriken using ninja wire. The Sharingan gifted the user an increase in perception, so he followed the wire until he was able to find their source. He teleported behind the blonde controlling the wires and stabbed him in the back.

However, his eyes widened when he recognized a jutsu his friend, Itachi, frequently used in the past. He managed to leap back as the shadow clone exploded. The wired shurikens were just a ruse to lure him to the exploding clone that was controlling them. This boy didn't just fight with overwhelming power, he fought with skill and intelligence. He suddenly heard a voice echo throughout the entire area. So, the boy was able to throw his voice?

"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu," the voice echoed.

A large wooden serpent like dragon creature with glowing yellow eyes emerged from the ground. Shisui began to feel overwhelmed by the constant barrage of attacks. This boy was able to pop off high powered ninjutsu like it was nothing. Not only that, he was displaying the ability to use various nature based kekkai genkai. Did it have something to do with his strange eyes? Shisui noticed that when he saw Naruto use the Wood Release earlier the boy's eyes glowed. Did Naruto have a dojutsu?

The dragon lunged towards him, and he was forced to jump back. It was evident what the boy's strategy was, and it was pretty clever. Naruto was still too young and undersized to tangle with Shisui in a taijutsu battle. For that reason, he was keeping hidden and using ninjutsu to win this fight.

When Shisui lost both of his Mangekyo Sharingan during the time before the Uchiha Massacre, he had lost a lot of his strength. In the past, he relied heavily on his eyes and was one of the most skilled genjutsu users in the world. His most powerful jutsu, Kotoamatsukami, was able to manipulate a person completely without them noticing. Now, all he had was two implanted Sharingan that he used to replace his original. Since they weren't the eyes of a blood relative, his eyes did not evolve into the Eternal Mangekyo. He was just left with two base Sharingan that he could never deactivate. He even had to cover them with a blindfold the majority of the time to conserve chakra.

Due to this setback, he decided to put more of an emphasis on his ninjutsu and taijutsu abilities. So, if this boy wanted a ninjutsu battle, he'd give him one.

 **~Break~**

It was no longer a battle of reasonable magnitude. A giant Toad was squaring off with an enormous sand-demon Tanuki. The Toad, Gamabunta, would fire off massive water bullets, but they were only countered by wind bullets of the same size. The collisions of the two attacks would launch drops of water all over the forest below, giving the impression of rainfall.

Sasuke was seeing firsthand how far Mito had come. She was able to use powerful water style ninjutsu in her fight against Neji, and now she was able to summon a massive Toad. He possessed no such ability. It didn't make him jealous of Mito, it made him frustrated with himself. Why hadn't he been able to reach a comparable level of power in all this time? What would the Chidori do against a massive Toad summon or a giant demon? He'd be squashed if he tried to engage such beings.

He was shocked to see the Toad transform into the Kyuubi. The Nine-Tailed Beast grabbed onto the Tanuki with its razor sharp claws and bit into the sand-demon's shoulder. Then, the transformation ended, and it was the Toad gripping the massive demon.

Sasuke saw Mito jump off the Toad's head towards the asleep Gaara. Sasuke figured that if she woke him up, the demonic possession would be over. His redheaded teammate socked Gaara in the face with enough force to cause whiplash. As a result, Gaara was woken up, and the demonic possession ended. The demon, Shukaku, was no longer in control.

However, the danger wasn't over. Gaara was still in control of the massive Tanuki creature. Mito began to charge up with more of that powerful red chakra and leaped towards her opponent. Gaara countered and attempted to crush Mito with his sand. It grabbed hold of her, but through sheer willpower and determination, she was able to headbutt the psychotic Suna-nin. Sasuke saw blood drip from Gaara's forehead as the massive sand creature began to crumble.

He tried to move to save his falling teammate, but he winced in pain. "D-Damn this curse mark," he growled.

He felt Sakura place a concerned hand on his shoulder. After recovering from his moment of pain, he looked up and saw the two demon containing redheads standing on the top of two trees. This would be the final exchange of their battle. The two leaped towards each other, both with their arms cocked back, ready to strike. Gaara, not being used to close combat, was walloped in the face, even harder than the punch from earlier. The two opponents both plummeted to the forest floor.

The battle was over.

 **~Break~**

Kakashi dodged another attack that would have no doubt killed him instantly. This fight was insane, as it was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. His opponent was impervious to any and all attacks. Furthermore, the man's strikes were powerful enough to crush the earth.

"Kakashi-san," Daichi said during the brief interlude of conflict. "I hope that in your last moments you realize that it was your foolish curiosity that got you killed."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he realized the implication of Daichi's words. It meant that this man was not connected to Suna or Oto. No, he was either connected to Orphanage 8 or the killer he had been hunting. There was also the possibility that he was connected to both. He had come here today to put an end to Kakashi's investigations.

"So," Kakashi began. "Do you work for those responsible for the creation and funding of Orphanage 8?"

The burly man chuckled at the question, "Didn't I just say that your curiosity would be the end of you?"

Daichi leaped at Kakashi and was an inch away from impaling him with his arm. However, he was stopped as a weighted kick made contact with his temple. He was launched several yards before he was able to get back on his feet. He looked up and saw a strange looking man that was wearing green tights and orange legwarmers. He had a bowl haircut and large eyebrows. All in all, he looked like a pretty cool guy.

"Kakashi!" the man exclaimed with an unusual amount of enthusiasm. "I'm at 53, how many have you defeated?"

"Actually, Gai," Kakashi answered. "You're still at 52."

The bushy-browed man was surprised to see the man he had just kicked stand to his feet with no difficulty. That kick was strong enough to crush a boulder, and this man ate it for lunch. "So this is what has been keeping you, Kakashi," Gai said in a tone that was very serious for the exuberant man. "It seems as though we're going to have to work together. How exciting, we shall tap into the springtime of our youth once more!"

Kakashi chuckled at his rival's proclamation. He then straightened his posture and stood at Gai's side. They hadn't fought side-by-side like this since the Third Great Ninja War. Whoever this man was if he could stand against the combined might of these two, then he was an opponent to be feared.

Feeling as though it was better to get it over with now, Kakashi's hand was encased in lightning, and a lightning-hound charged towards their enemy. The hound was connected to his hand which allowed him to control its movements. The man didn't dodge and merely tanked the damage. He was electrocuted but showed no signs of pain or injury. How was this possible?

"Kakashi," Gai said, getting the gray-haired jonin's attention. "I don't think your attack hurt him."

Kakashi felt the need to face palm at the obvious statement. Leave it to Gai to make a life or death situation so silly. It was unintentional, of course, but it was still appreciated. Gai's consistently amusing behavior could get annoying, but on a battlefield, they were a blessing. There was nobody on this earth he'd rather have at his side during war.

They would need to revise their strategy if they wanted to kill this man.

 **~Break~**

"Fire Style: Great Phoenix Jutsu," Shisui yelled.

A relatively small phoenix made of fire headed towards the head of the wooden dragon. Any and all of his previous jutsu were just absorbed by the body of the dragon. He figured that aiming for the thing's head wouldn't hurt. As the phoenix made contact it, it blew up in an enormous explosion of fire. The destructive capabilities of this jutsu were not proportionate to the size of the phoenix. This allowed for it to be a technique that was too fast to dodge and too powerful to defend against.

The head of the dragon was destroyed, and the body was ablaze with fire. It seemed that if you crush the head of the dragon the body would be unable to absorb chakra. It appeared that his instincts to go for the head had been correct. However, he refused to let his guard down. No doubt his opponent would attempt to kill him with another powerful jutsu.

As he the thought went through his mind, multiple wood clones began to rise out of the ground around him. He engaged in a vicious taijutsu battle with his attackers and managed to destroy a good amount of them. He shunshined into the air above them and finished them off with a massive burst of fire.

While he was in the air, he felt a figure hovering behind his back. He twisted to attack the blonde behind him, but it was blocked. They both landed on the ground across from each other and engaged in a stare down. Much of the forest was burning around them due to the Great Phoenix Jutsu.

The boy standing before him seemed unaffected by the environment. His expression remained unchanged from how it was at the beginning of their battle. It was a calm expression with a polite smile. The beautifulness of his face and expression only made it more terrifying when you realized what he was capable of and what he had done.

He came here to learn the secrets of this boy's origins. However, the child burned everything to the ground before any progress could be made. He felt like the blonde was always multiple steps ahead of him. Even during this fight, he had spent the entire time reacting to Naruto's moves.

"What are you planning?" Shisui demanded. "What happened to you and Mito in this place?"

"You must never know anything about me, or my past, Shisui-san," the boy responded.

The blonde put an end to any further conversation when he formed a hand sign. "Wood Style: Laughing Buddha Jutsu."

Multiple giant-wooden hands erupted from the ground, all trying to crush the cloaked Uchiha. He was able to avoid them due to his speed and dexterity, but they were relentless in their pursuit. He would need to kill this boy now, it was the only way. If he didn't, the boy would only increase in strength, and then he, or anyone else for that matter, wouldn't stand a chance.

He wished that Itachi were here, he was very good at creating elaborate plans to defeat powerful opponents. He didn't realize how ironic it was that he and Itachi had met this boy when he was still a young child. He'd said that Naruto was an 'Itachi 2.0' and it wasn't too far off. The boy fought the same way Itachi did, with intelligence and poise. The only difference being that Itachi was much more skilled in genjutsu then the blonde Uzumaki.

The wooden-hands were closing in, and he also noticed that the forest around him was inching closer and closer. Soon he wouldn't even be able to move at all. In his desire to defeat Naruto, he had allowed the boy to set the field of engagement. They had been fighting this entire time in a forest that the blonde had created.

He only had one option if he wanted to survive. It was one of his most powerful and widespread offensive ninjutsu. He would use it and then make his escape. There was no reason trying to pointlessly kill a person that had perfect control of the situation. No, Shisui had a responsibility to Mito, he promised her that when she was ready for answers, he'd come and find her. Mito was the key to solving all of these problems. If anything, Naruto's connection to his sister was his only weakness.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation," he shouted, expelling an immense amount of chakra into his jutsu.

The approaching wooden constructs were immediately engulfed in flames. Amidst the inferno around him, Shisui was able to find a way to escape. Before he left, he turned and looked towards the blonde 13-year-old who was just standing there as everything burned around him.

Shisui found that this image before him was symbolic of what Naruto truly was. He was the eye of the storm, calm and serene, but surrounded by death and chaos. He found that the more he learned about the boy, the more questions he found himself needing to answer.

The only thing Shisui had to lose at this point was his life. It was what made him the perfect opponent for this blonde psychopath, and he would fight him until his last breath. But the day in which he would draw in that last breath would not be today. No, he still had work to do. After looking back, he jumped out of a gap in the flames and escaped.

Naruto just closed his eyes as the flaming forest burned around him.

 **~Break~**

The Invasion resulted in a resounding victory for Konoha. The forces of Suna and Oto were expelled, and order was restored. While there were several shinobi death, nobody in the civilian population lost their lives. However, today was not a celebration. Today was the funeral for one of the greatest Konoha shinobi to ever live.

The Third Hokage's funeral was a dreary event, even the sky was weeping for the loss of such a man. The Third had touched the hearts of everyone in the village one way or another. His will was passed down to the next generations, and they would carry it with them until they passed it on to their successors. His legacy wouldn't be that he was one of the most knowledgeable shinobi to ever live. No, his legacy would be the Will of Fire that he nurtured and passed down.

No matter how honorable his death was, Mito was still sad. As she was standing at the funeral, dressed in black, she couldn't help but recall all that Oldman Hokage had done for her over the years. If it wasn't for him, she might have never been adopted by her parents. He was never able to find or tell her anything about her brother, but who in this world was actually perfect? He tried his best and always had good intentions, and that was all that mattered to her.

She felt two hands placed on her shoulders and saw her parents standing solemnly behind her. She was grateful for their presence, as they made her feel less miserable. She could see the frustration etched on her father's face. He clearly had an issue with being evacuated to a safe area while his daughter fought for her life. It was understandable that he would feel this way. A father would always want to protect their daughter, and it wasn't his fault that he never became a shinobi.

To her, her parents didn't need to need to be shinobi to earn her respect. All she needed from them was their love, nothing more nothing less. She had learned to be self-sufficient long ago, but she still lived with her parents. She could easily maintain her own home, but she felt like her parents enjoyed her presence. They deserved to have what they wanted every once in a while considering how much they had done for her over the years.

She looked to her right and saw the rest of Team 7 standing near her side. After her fight with Gaara, Sakura and Sasuke helped make sure that she was alright. She hoped that she was able to have an impact on Gaara with her words. She told him that he wasn't a monster and that she understood what his pain and loneliness felt like. She even cried for the opponent she had spent the previous hour fighting. He seemed stunned by her words and even told his siblings that he was done fighting when they attempted to defend him from Sasuke.

Speaking of Sasuke, she noticed that he looked at her with eyes that were flooded with respect. She must have impressed him with her displays of strength and skill against Neji and Gaara. She still wasn't sure if she could defeat Sasuke, but she was getting closer. Little did she know that she had become a motivation for Sasuke to train harder and become stronger.

The list of those she has lost had gotten a bit longer, and yet, today was not a sad day. Today was a day for remembering the good times. A day in which they would enjoy the peace and prosperity their comrades and leader had died fighting to protect. It was what they all would have wanted.

She said goodbye to her parents and began walking away from the funeral along with her team. She absentmindedly wondered who the next Hokage would be. She looked up towards Kakashi-sensei and pondered whether or not he would become the new leader of the village. Or perhaps the new leader would be Jiraiya-sensei, but she almost laughed out loud at that thought. Yeah right, Jiraiya-sensei sitting at a desk for most of the day was as likely as Sasuke wearing a pink onesie. This time she actually did laugh out loud, and her teammates looked at her like she was a lunatic.

Yep, things were going to be okay.

 **~Break~**

As Kakashi walked with his team, he was happy to see that they were in relatively high spirits. However, his thoughts went back to the man he had just fought against. No matter how many times he had hit him, he kept getting up. He had never seen anything like it in his twenty-two years of shinobi experience. He had been fighting opponents since he was five years old and he had never before encountered a person with such an ability.

The fact that such a man had been in the village made Kakashi nervous. That seemingly untouchable criminal had been in the same village as his students. He quickly shook off the thought, thinking of the man as if he were an unbeatable opponent would do little in the ways of figuring out how to defeat him. Nobody was unbeatable, and everyone had a weakness.

He supposed that against an opponent with such resistance to physical attacks, genjutsu would be the best option. Kakashi would need to increase his genjutsu capabilities in case he ever re-encountered his new enemy. He knew that at some point in the future, he and Daichi would be engaged in battle once more. He would be ready when the day arrived.

He looked down towards his students and frowned. Whether Daichi was associated with Orphanage 8 or not, he was still a danger to them. His students had been growing exponentially in strength since he had taken them on nearly a year ago. However, they were not ready to take on S-Rank or even A-Rank opponents. They would be slaughtered if they attempted to fight such people. Itachi Uchiha was one of those people, and it made Kakashi worry for Sasuke. If the Uchiha boy tried to kill Itachi at his current level, he would be decimated.

On another note, he hadn't heard anything from Shikaku-sama since the Invasion had ended. He figured the man would desire to discuss the case once more, but he never came to speak with him. It was odd, the man seemed very dedicated to catching the murderer last time they had spoken.

Kakashi was smart, but he would need a genius like Shikaku on his side if he were going to succeed. The person he was trying to catch, whoever they were, was much more intelligent than he had ever imagined. He had to accept that he couldn't do this alone anymore.

Suddenly, he felt a faint presence watching him from around the corner. He was unable to see the person, but they weren't trying to hide their presence. He told his team that he had somewhere to be and said goodbye. Afterward, he walked towards the presence and was surprised to see who it was.

"Ibiki," Kakashi said in a casual tone. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Follow me," the stern man said. Then he shunshined out of the area.

Kakashi sighed, he had a feeling that this was going to be very stressful. He shunshined to where he felt Ibiki's chakra. The intense man was waiting for him in the booth of a shady looking bar. Kakashi entered the pub and felt the suspicious eyes of the bartender on him. However, he ignored the look and made his way towards his fellow jonin.

He sat down across from the scarred interrogator and waited for him to speak. But when the man didn't say anything he started to get slightly uncomfortable. This wasn't his typical scene, and Ibiki was merely an acquaintance that he spoke to sparingly. He went to speak but was interrupted.

"Have you ever been here before, Kakashi?" Ibiki asked, his intimidating stare never wavering.

Kakashi shook his head to say no, and surprisingly, Ibiki nodded his head and spoke. "Me neither, I don't frequent bars. However, I felt like this place would be fitting for our discussion."

"And why is that?" Kakashi asked. He was getting more comfortable with the situation and was allowing himself to relax. It was evident that Ibiki didn't have a quarrel with him. Also, the bartender finally stopped glaring at them, so overall, the ambiance was improving a little bit. Only a little bit.

"This was Anko's favorite place. At least that's what I've been told."

Kakashi was pretty surprised to hear Ibiki mention Anko. He knew that the two worked together for some time, but he didn't know that they were close. He had never seen them spending any time together outside of their respective jobs. For that reason, it was unexpected to hear him bring her name up. After several moments of no conversation, Ibiki sighed in irritation and then spoke again.

"Alright, listen Kakashi," Ibiki said. "And this isn't a request."

Kakashi straightened his posture at the tone of voice. He knew when it was time to be relaxed and when it was time to be serious. His gut was telling him that whatever Ibiki was about to say to him was important. Ibiki had never come before him in the past, and he was fairly sure that the renowned interrogator wasn't much for socializing. This must be very important.

"I spoke with Shikaku before I came to you," Ibiki said. Kakashi immediately realized that he was correct in his previous assumption. The only thing he and Shikaku had in common was their interest in catching a particular monster. "He told me everything. Everything that he told you and everything that you said to him."

"What is this about, Ibiki?" Kakashi asked, finally getting a word in.

"I want in," the man responded. "I don't know what you're planning or what exactly you think you're looking for. All I know is Shikaku wants out, and now you're all alone in this hunt of yours."

Kakashi's lone eye widened. Shikaku wanted out? Last time they spoke, the Nara Clan Head was extremely enthusiastic about the opportunity to pursue this case together. What could have happened in a month that would change that?

"The difference between Shikaku and me is that I have nothing to lose," Ibiki said, unintentionally or perhaps intentionally answering Kakashi's question. "If this goes bad for Shikaku he has a wife and kid that could be in danger. However, I have no such things holding me back."

Ibiki continued after pausing for a moment, "I want in, Kakashi. I want to help you find this monster you've been looking for."

"Why," Kakashi asked. "For what reason do you want to get involved?"

Deep down Kakashi knew why. Ibiki must be looking to get justice for the death of his former colleague. To anyone that asked, Anko committed suicide. But anyone that knew her felt differently about it. Anko had her demons, but with each day that passed, she was getting better. Perhaps the return of her former sensei, Orochimaru set her off. However, she didn't seem too upset about it when he saw her in the tower. No, Anko had shifted her desire for revenge into a desire to protect the village.

"You know why," Ibiki said stoically. "You can't do this alone, Kakashi, and neither can I."

The gray-haired jonin sighed, but deep down he was grateful. Shikaku was a genius, but even he couldn't hold a candle to Ibiki's understanding of the criminal mind. Ibiki's help would be invaluable in their journey to discovering the truth.

"Alright," Kakashi said. "But I hope you have money saved up. If we work together on this, it means that we dedicate to it full-time. That means no missions."

"And no more babysitting genin," Ibiki added. Kakashi straightened up when he heard that, and he was about express his indignation, but he was interrupted. "You're right Kakashi; if this case is to be solved there can be no outside distractions. That rule applies to both of us, not just me. And I'd argue that genin are more time consuming than any mission."

The grey-haired jonin was trying to think of a way to refute the man's logic, but he was unable to. Whether he liked it or not, Ibiki was right. He couldn't have his attention divided between this and his genin anymore. It wouldn't be fair to his students anyway. If they were going to get his attention they deserved all of it. At least Jiraiya-sama was around to look after them.

"Fine, you're right," Kakashi said. He looked towards his conversation partner and saw that he was ready to hear what he had to tell him. "Alright, let me tell you everything I know. It started like this…."

 **~End~**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Nihilism...is not only the belief that everything deserves to perish; but one actually puts one's shoulder to the plough;** _ **one destroys**_ **(Friedrich Nietzsche).**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Eight**

The walls were closing in all around him. Everywhere he went, he felt as though there were eyes glued to him. It was miserable, living in such a way. His former friends believed him to be crazy and cut ties with him. They did not believe him when he said they were all in danger. Despite his warnings, most of them were dead, killed by the very people he had been fleeing from.

He was once a renowned neuropsychologist, which meant he studied the brain, its functions, and how it affects behavior. He and his colleagues were going to change the world for the better. They had been contracted to work several projects. Most of which consisted of the analysis of brain scans, with the occasional study of a living subject. The subjects brought before them were typically children. They were not informed about the children or their pasts, only that they were to analyze their behavior patterns. They were told that the young children had suffered immense trauma and that the goal was to find a way to help them. Looking back on it, they were foolish to believe such a lie.

Most of the children brought before them were suffering a variety of mental illnesses, all caused by extreme trauma in the past. For all their intelligence, he and his colleagues were too stupid to inquire as to what the trauma was. He supposed that enough money would silence even the best of people, especially if they were young. It had been roughly thirty years since then, and now they were finally paying for their negligence. They may not have been responsible for what happened to those children, but they didn't do anything about it either. They were too fixated on scientific discovery and earning the funds required to bring positive change to the world. In the process, it was likely that they turned a blind eye to something horrible.

As he was making his way to his secret home, he felt like he could hear the voices of his pursuers. However, he knew nobody was there. Years of fear and paranoia had led to him developing several psychological issues of his own. It was ironic that the neuropsychologist had allowed his mind to degrade to such a state. And it wasn't just his mind; he looked like a wreck externally too. His hair was gray, patchy and uncleaned and he had equally patchy gray facial hair that he couldn't be bothered to shave. Fear had caused him to age so that he looked much older than he was. He was only fifty-five, and yet, he looked like he could be in his seventies.

He finally reached his home, and after he had made sure he wasn't followed, he settled in. All the windows in the small apartment were covered so that nobody could peer inside. The overall layout of the house was very bare, with minimal furniture. When he actually managed to sleep it was in a sleeping bag and not a bed. The fear of death had kept him awake a great many nights.

As he was walking through the apartment, he stopped by a small desk. On the desk was an unfinished letter, which was written on very old-looking paper. It was one of the many regrets in his life. He had never been able to finish the letter he so desperately desired to send out to the person he respected most. He wondered if she would even remember who he was after such a long time?

During his observation, he saw a weathered looking book at the top corner of the desk, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from it. He took the book into his frail hands and read the cover. It was a book he had written many years ago about behavior patterns in children. He looked at the name at the bottom of the cover and almost cried. Amaya Kazushi, that was a name he hadn't heard another human being say in years. It was his name, and yet he had almost forgotten throughout these trying years.

Amaya narrowed his bloodshot eyes and decided that this would be the day. He set the book to the side, grabbed a pen and placed the unfinished letter before him. He sat down at the desk and stared intently at the piece of paper in front of him. It was almost entirely blank, as it only had the beginning, which was just him addressing the recipient. He had so many things he wanted to say, but there likely weren't enough trees in the world to create the amount of paper necessary to convey his feelings. He would need to keep it simple. As he made that thought, a knocking reverberated throughout his small apartment. He felt his heart sink in despair as he expected the worst.

Knowing this could be the end, he quickly wrote his message and then hid the letter so that it wouldn't be easily found. He warily approached the door, not knowing what cruel fate lied ahead for him. After undoing the many intricate locks on the door, he cracked it open so he could see who was outside.

It was a brown-haired man who looked very calm. The visitor made no move to enter the house and waited patiently to be addressed by the homeowner.

"W-Who are you?" Amaya asked. Would this be his end?

"Hello, sir," the visitor said politely with a charismatic smile. "I am with the local authorities," he presented an ID that proved his position. "We have gotten several complaints about a disturbance in the area. Apparently, dangerous looking men have been prowling this street."

Amaya felt immense dread at the news. Could they have been looking for him? He would need to get out of here soon. He had only moved here six months ago, so it was very inconvenient. However, he'd rather deal with inconvenience than have to worry about being killed in his home.

"They're here to kill me," he mumbled to the officer. He was surprised at how much he was trusting this man.

"Sir, if there is anything you can tell me about these people, I may be able to help you," the kind looking officer said with a large deal of sincerity. "In fact, I'd be willing to take you to a more secure location after we talk. Are you alright with letting me enter your home, sir?"

Amaya nodded his head in relief. He would finally be getting help! Someone was finally going to listen to him. He opened the door and allowed for the stranger to enter. The officer smiled and entered the apartment. The door closed behind them, and the two were finally alone.

"Thank you for your cooperation, sir," the brown-haired officer said. "Since we'll be spending the next few minutes speaking with each other I suppose it would be best if I introduce myself. I am called Daichi."

During the following hours, nobody was able to hear Amaya Kazushi's screams.

 **~Break~**

"You need us to help you find the 5th Hokage?" Sasuke asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

He and Mito had just met with the Jiraiya near the hot springs. Ever since Kakashi has dedicated himself to investigating the mysterious murders occurring in Fire Country, they were put under the supervision of the perverted Sannin. Kakashi told them that if they ever needed him, he was still around, but he had a lot of new work on his plate. Sasuke noticed that his masked sensei was spending a lot of time with that Proctor from the First Stage of the Chunin Exams, Ibiki Morino. He figured that they were working together.

"Well, I promised your sensei that I'd teach you guys some things," Jiraiya said. "Besides, who wouldn't want to travel along side a legendary shinobi such as myself?"

"You're a bit overconfident, Jiraiya-sensei," Mito giggled.

Kakashi had told Team 7 that for the foreseeable future they would be receiving tutoring from the Toad Sage. However, only Mito and Sasuke accepted. Sakura said it would be in her best interest to train under Kurenai Yuhi. Kakashi agreed with her logic and stated that it would be an excellent idea since Sakura had so much potential in genjutsu.

Jiraiya already had a set plan for what he wanted to teach Mito. However, he wasn't immediately prepared to teach Sasuke. Thankfully, the Uchiha survivor was very good at teaching things to himself, so it wasn't that difficult. He decided that he would just refine all of Sasuke's already existing abilities. Kakashi was already able to get the young Uchiha off to a great start. Geniuses like Sasuke had a knack for teaching themselves anyway.

With Mito, he decided that he would pass on one of the Fourth Hokage's signature techniques. Teaching Mito the Rasengan would be like passing the torch to his new apprentice. She didn't seem to have the same aptitude for Sealing Jutsu as her father, but she was equally talented in regards to ninjutsu. She was a unique person to teach in the sense that she wasn't able to processes things almost instantly like Sasuke, but she wasn't hopeless. It took her a decent amount of time to learn a technique, but she did so through guts and determination. That was good, Jiraiya would take guts over genius any day.

"Whatever," Sasuke said with his arms crossed. "So long as we aren't dragging our knuckles along the way."

"Jeez kid," Jiraiya said. "You're such a buzzkill. Why can't you be sweet and fun, like Mito?"

"Yeah, Sasuke!" Mito exclaimed with a joking smile on her face. "Why can't you be cool, like me?"

Sasuke sighed and put his hands in his pockets. However, there was small, amused smile on his face. He was happy that he had friends that would joke around with him. Normally, he had to deal with people that were constantly being careful around him. It was almost like they were trying to walk on eggshells. People were so afraid to upset him that they never treated him normally.

He was actually pretty excited to learn from Jiraiya. Kakashi was a great teacher, but Jiraiya was one of the most legendary shinobi in the world. The Uchiha survivor could only guess at the immense knowledge his new tutor possessed. It helped that the Toad Sage was already proven to be an excellent teacher. Anyone who trained someone at the level of the Fourth Hokage was without a doubt a skilled teacher.

Sasuke glanced at Mito from the corner of his eye. He was glad that he decided to open up to her. Ever since he decided to visit her in the hospital all those years ago, he felt like he was becoming a better person with every passing day. Not only did she set an excellent example of how to act, but she also was a great rival. She pushed him to better himself in a way that no other person from their age group could even dream of doing. In a way, he was proud of her. The girl who was once at the bottom of the Academy rankings was now on par with him, the Rookie of the Year.

He thought that he would be annoyed at the prospect of Mito catching up to him, but it only served to excite him further. The spars he had with her were some of the most competitive duels he'd had in a very long time. They were about even in their win-loss record. This was because while Sasuke was superior to Mito in terms of speed and taijutsu, her water style techniques gave him a lot of trouble since he was a fire style user. He had never used the Chidori in any of their spars since that was not a technique to use against a comrade.

On the note of training, he figured that Jiraiya would be able to teach him more fire jutsu. He realized that Mito was Jiraiya's apprentice, so Sasuke decided that he'd interfere with their training as little as possible. He had little doubt that there were many techniques the Toad Sage wanted to pass on to the red-haired Uzumaki. Sasuke had already learned special jutsu from Kakashi, so he felt as though only Mito deserved to be the inheritor of Jiraiya's special techniques. The last Uchiha would just ask for advice when he ever ran into trouble with his fire manipulation. He would just build on the foundation that Kakashi had already set for him.

Apparently, he and Mito would need to help the white-haired Sannin find a woman named Tsunade. He had read about her before, she was one of Jiraiya's teammates and was a member of the Legendary Sannin. He had also read that Orochimaru was also one of the three Sannin. Thinking about the snake-man made him clench his fists. He would never feel that weak again, never.

 **~Break~**

"Damn him," Orochimaru growled. He was sitting in a throne located in one of his many hideouts. His arms were wrapped in bandages, and there was blood seeping through them. That old dotard Sarutobi-sensei had sealed his arms away. Now all his jutsu were lost to him. The Invasion was never meant to go that way. They had been betrayed, and it led to their crushing defeat.

"Damn that Uzumaki brat," Orochimaru once more growled. "He used me."

Naruto had said that he would assist during the Invasion, however, during the conflict, he was nowhere to be seen. Upon learning this, he realized that the Uzumaki boy had been using him all along. Naruto desired for him and the senile Old man to kill each other in their battle. He had been foolish to trust the blonde-haired boy. Kabuto was right; the child was too dangerous.

"What would you wish for me to do, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked, relaxed even in the presence of his furious master. "Do you still want me to find Tsunade Senju?"

"No," Orochimaru responded through clenched teeth. "She would never help me. Besides, she'll soon have problems of her own, from what I've heard."

His sources told him that many people who once worked with the blonde Senju woman were being murdered all over Fire Country. It couldn't be a coincidence, whatever it was, Tsunade was somehow connected to it. The majority of the victims had been tortured before they died, which led him to believe that the perpetrators were trying to find out where Tsunade was. Did they wish to kill her? Or did they want something from her? Both of those possibilities were equally likely.

He wasn't going to interfere with such things. He was already weakened as it was and he'd need to find a new body soon. Yes, he'd need to focus his full attention on Sasuke Uchiha. The boy was developing nicely, much faster than he had anticipated. When he snuck into the forest of death, he thought that he'd be fighting against the runt of the Uchiha Clan. However, he ended up trading blows with a talented shinobi. The kid still wasn't even remotely close to his level though. Even in his currently weakened state, the last Uchiha would still lose if they were to fight again.

On a side note, he had heard what the Uzumaki brat did to Anko before the Third Stage. Surprisingly, he actually felt sad at the news. However, he immediately crushed those feelings. There was no room for emotional attachments in his quest for power. The fact that someone he knew so well had just died only reaffirmed his belief that life was far too short. Why come to terms with your mortality when you can become eternal?

"Kabuto," Orochimaru said, getting his subordinates attention. "When you were tailing Uzumaki did you learn anything of value?"

"Not really, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto answered. "He didn't have any set patterns. No hobbies, no favorite place to visit, nothing." Orochimaru scowled at his right-hand man's lack of valuable information, "He didn't even meet with his subordinates. I think that he gives them orders through drop messages. I'd argue that the majority of people working for him haven't even seen his face."

"So, he's careful," Orochimaru contemplated. "But we already knew that."

"Should we send someone to take care of him?" Kabuto asked dutifully.

"No," Orochimaru said with a sick smile. "The Red Dawn will be coming for him soon. It is best we stay out of the way."

 **~Break~**

"It is just like the others," Ibiki analyzed in a stoic voice. "Bound, tortured and then killed."

They had just arrived at the crime scene of the most recent in a string of murders. In each case, the killer would either gain the trust of the victim and then torture them before killing. The only problem was, the manner in which it was done was different for all the victims. In one case, it was clear that multiple people had tortured the victim. So they were dealing with more than one killer. However, these murderers were collaborating with one another.

In the beginning, Kakashi and Ibiki thought these murders were unrelated until they discovered that all of the victims had a past connection with one another. They all used to collaborate in the fields of science and medicine. In particular, they specialized in studying the human brain. They all formed a research group called 'Beautiful Minds' about thirty years ago. Someone was killing these people for a reason, and the two Konoha jonin would figure out why.

"Do we have a name for the victim?" Kakashi asked his partner.

The scarred jonin nodded and then handed Kakashi a book he had picked up from a nearby table. Kakashi read the cover and saw the author's name written on the bottom. "His name is Amaya Kazushi," Ibiki clarified. "Inside the back of the book is the picture of the author. And while our victim seems to have aged quite a bit, his facial features match."

Kakashi looked at a file he had brought with him. It contained the names of those who were associated with the 'Beautiful Minds' research group. All of the victims in the past few months were people that had a previous affiliation with this organization. While he was looking through the list, he noticed just how many of the names he had already crossed out. Whoever was killing these people was almost finished, only two names were remaining, Amaya Kazushi and Tsunade Senju.

He wasn't shocked that Tsunade-sama was once a member of this group. She was a jack of all trades when it came to medical knowledge. From what he was able to discover through research, Beautiful Minds was founded by several young adults who studied at the same medical university. Eventually, they came to Tsunade-sama and requested a partnership due to her renowned expertise.

"His name is on the list," Kakashi said. "The only name remaining is Tsunade-sama's."

Ibiki didn't answer, and he methodically began to investigate the room. He was in his element, this was where he was at his best. He started skimming through the victim's journals, but they were just the deranged ramblings of a man driven insane by fear. In the journals, Amaya mentioned that he was being pursued, but he never mentioned who or what it was. There were several pages where Amaya lamented about how he and his colleagues were 'paying for their past mistakes,' whatever those mistakes were

"Whoever killed this guy is skilled at torture," Kakashi commented. "The body shows signs of bruising and lacerations; however, none of them were fatal. The only fatal wound was the killing blow."

The body was shirtless and tied to a chair. The body was covered in bruises and cuts seemingly caused by a knife. Ibiki said that the victim was tortured for around an hour and a half. Either the perpetrator got the information he wanted or realized that his captive wouldn't talk.

"Whoever did this isn't the monster we are looking for. Our particular monster doesn't feel anything, even when he kills. Therefore, as Shikaku-san said, you can't feel any emotion from his crime scenes." Ibiki suddenly said, getting Kakashi's attention. "There is too much emotion in this particular murder. In fact, I feel that the person who did this was a sadist who took pleasure in torturing his victim. With that in mind, it is likely that the perpetrator of this murder is working for the monster that we're pursuing."

Ibiki never ceased to amaze Kakashi. To be able to gather so much information while only looking at a crime scene for a few minutes. But if what Ibiki said is true, it meant that their monster has followers that do his bidding. Perhaps if they managed to capture one of them, they could extract information? Ibiki was the worlds greatest interrogator after all. He stopped his train of thought and went back to analyzing the crime scene.

"No forced entry," Kakashi said while looking back at the door. "Shows that the killer was able to gain his victim's trust."

That made whoever it was more even more dangerous. Killers that are able to charm their victims are always the most difficult to catch. Violent killers are usually outcasts from society, and you can easily make them out in a crowd. However, cunning psychopaths are able to blend in and make themselves appear like an average citizen.

"He likely disguised himself as a figure of authority," Ibiki responded, finally speaking.

The killer probably disguised himself as an officer. Kakashi called out to the officer who had escorted him and Ibiki to the crime scene. The man entered and asked if there was anything they needed.

"Could you bring me a list of any officers that didn't show up to work yesterday? If you could, that would be great." Kakashi requested with an eye-smile.

When the officer returned with the list, the gray-haired jonin looked it over and found that only one officer was absent from work, and he was absent yesterday and today. The man did not notify his superiors of his absence either, which was suspicious. He flipped through the papers until he was able to find the mystery man's personal information. Apparently, he lived about two minutes from where they were currently investigating.

"I suppose we should pay this man a visit," Kakashi said. "What do you think, Ibiki?"

The stoic man nodded, and they made their way towards their next destination. This could be very dangerous, as they didn't know what they were walking into. As Kakashi looked throughout the streets, he saw that most of the townsfolk kept to themselves. That was probably why a man as paranoid as Amaya decided to make this area his home. It was sad to think that such an intelligent and respected man had regressed into such a state due to fear. And his paranoia was only rewarded with a slow and painful death. Yep, life didn't do Amaya any favors, that was for sure.

As they were making their way to the mystery officer's house, Kakashi looked over towards his partner. The man was reading through Amaya's journals, hoping to find anything of value. Kakashi was glad that he accepted Ibiki's help. It definitely made things easier for him considering Ibiki had such a keen understanding of the psychology of a killer. Not to mention the guy was as diligent as they come. He wasn't much in the way of good conversation, but they didn't team up to become best buddies.

When they made it to their destination, they knocked on the door three times. Nobody answered, and when Kakashi went to test the door handle he discovered that it was unlocked. He slowly pushed the door open, and the two Konoha jonin entered the apartment. As they made their way through, they noticed that there was an unfinished sandwich on the kitchen table and that all the lights were off.

They entered the only room that was closed, the bedroom, and they saw what they pretty much expected. There was a man dead on the floor, clad in nothing but his underwear. It seemed like his neck was broken, and unlike the victim at their previous crime scene, his death was instantaneous. The officer that accompanied shook his head in sadness. He told them that he had to go notify his superiors and if they needed anything he'd be back soon.

Ibiki checked the victim's closet and immediately noticed that his police uniform was missing. "Well, now we know how are killer was able to get his way into Amaya's house. No doubt he killed this man and stole his uniform and ID."

Kakashi continued investigating the room and Ibiki went back to combing through Amaya's journals. As Kakashi examined the body, he noted that the man was likely killed roughly three days ago. He then heard Ibiki speak, "The killer probably chose this victim because they shared a similar appearance. If they didn't, the ID he stole would be useless, since the police in this area have to present their ID to a person before entering their home. Each ID has the photo of the officer prominently displayed on it, so if the killer didn't look like the officer, he wouldn't have been able to get into Amaya-san's house so easily. With that being said, the victim has brown hair and a fairly muscular build. So whoever the killer is likely looks very similar. It isn't much in the way of evidence, but its better than nothing."

So the man who murdered Amaya had brown hair and a muscular build? Kakashi supposed that was useful information. After pondering that for a moment, he then brought his attention to the lone bed in the room and noticed that it had been slept in and then made very recently. Whoever killed this man slept in his bed afterward, right next to the corpse. At least he had been polite enough to make the bed before he left. Jeez, some things were too disturbing to even to make it up.

"Kakashi, I found something."

The man in question looked up and saw that his partner was holding a letter in his hand. "One of the journals had a hidden compartment with an enveloped letter inside," Ibiki said in his usual monotone. Even when finding valuable evidence the man was still impossible to read.

Ibiki held the letter out so both he and Kakashi could read it. They both immediately noticed that the letter was addressed to Tsunade-sama. However, they were surprised to see that there wasn't much writing inside. In fact, it was just a hastily written sentence.

Kakashi read the message out loud, "Even if you can forget, you cannot erase the past."

It seemed that every answer they found led to only more questions.

 **~Break~**

The sun was beginning to set in Tanzuka-gai, which mattered little for the town that never slept. It was a hotbed for those who enjoyed gambling and beautiful women. Not to mention the entire community was preparing for the festival, an event in which the streets would be lined with games and food carts for all ages.

After a whole evening of gambling, Tsunade Senju was relaxing at a local tea shop. She had brown eyes and straight, shoulder-length blonde hair that she kept tied in two loose ponytails. She wore a grass-green hair with the kanji for "gamble" written on the back, inside a red circle. Underneath she wore a gray, kimono-style blouse with no sleeves, held closed by a broad, dark bluish-grey obi that matches her pants.

Next to her was her ever loyal attendant, Shizune Kato. Unlike her master, Shizune would be described as being rather flat-chested. She had onyx eyes and straight jet-black shoulder length hair. She wore a black kimono with beige trimmings and an obi of the same color.

After another night of unsuccessful gambling, Shizune was happy that her master had decided to call it a night. It was odd for Tsunade-sama to give into her advice so easily, but she noticed that the blonde-haired Senju had been on edge lately. And there was also the issue that they were nearly all out of money. Soon they'd be unable to afford a place to sleep or food to eat.

"Don't worry Shizune," Tsunade would always say, typically while under the influence of alcohol. "I'll make up for all our losses at the card table."

However, regardless of her master's faults, Shizune would continue to stand by her side. She owed so much to Tsunade-sama. There wasn't enough time in a human life for her to be able to repay her teacher. The least she could do is make sure that the Senju Princess wasn't alone in this dark world.

Out of nowhere the waiter who brought them to their private booth made his presence known, "Ma'am, there is a gentleman here to see you. He says that it is important."

Shizune noticed a man standing behind the waiter and figured it was the person that wished to speak to Tsunade-sama. He was a somewhat muscular man with brown hair and strong facial features. He was wearing plain black clothes and black shinobi sandals. In his right arm, he was holding a black hooded cloak. Jeez, did this guy like the color black, or what?

The waiter stepped aside, and the mysterious visitor seated himself in the booth across from the blonde and black haired women. He didn't look like he was a particularly dangerous guy, in fact, he seemed pretty lazy. He gestured the towards the waiter, gave him some money, and asked for privacy.

"What do you want?" Tsunade asked, a bit rudely. She didn't like being bothered, especially by annoying strangers.

"I'm glad that I was able to find you, Tsunade-san," the man said. "My associates and I have been trying to find you for quite a while."

"Who are you?" Shizune suddenly asked, getting the man's attention.

"Ah," he responded. "Forgive my rudeness. I am called Daichi."

"You're called Daichi?" Tsunade scoffed. "That's a strange way to phrase it. Is that even your real name?"

The man now identified as Daichi chuckled at the comment. He seemed very relaxed, which was odd considering he was in the presence of an irritable Sannin. Now that Shizune thought about it, he gave off a vibe of someone with a high-level of intelligence. They'd need to be careful when dealing with this man.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," Daichi responded. "However, I am not here to discuss such things. In fact, my boss sent me here to make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?" Tsunade asked impatiently. This guy was giving her the creeps. What sort of deal was he talking about?

"We know that you were once associated with the Beautiful Minds research group," Daichi said. Tsunade eyes immediately widened in surprise. "We also know that those who contracted the services Beautiful Minds only met with you, which means you are the only one that knows their identity."

Shizune was very confused. She had never heard of her master working with such a group. Tsunade-sama was a medical genius for sure, but she typically worked solo. Had Tsunade-sama worked with a group of peers in the past? If so, it'd be news to her.

Daichi continued when Tsunade didn't respond. "In exchange for the information that we desire, you will be paid a sum of forty-four million ryo (Roughly 4 million USD)."

Shizune was shocked by the offer, and she was certain Tsunade-sama was as well. Forty-four million ryo was no small sum of money. In fact, it was enough to last them for quite a while, so long as the Slug-Sannin accepted.

"So, will you tell us who contracted the services of Beautiful Minds?" Daichi asked with his trademark lazy smile.

Tsunade stared into Daichi's eyes for what felt like an eternity and then spoke, "Sorry," she said dismissively. "No deal."

The fact that her master declined the deal made Shizune even more curious about this 'Beautiful Minds' research group. What did the group do that was so important that this man would willingly pay forty-four million ryo just for information? Tsunade-sama may have lost her Will of Fire, but it seemed she was still above ratting out associates. It made Shizune feel proud of her master for what felt like the first time in a long time.

Daichi didn't seem too upset about the refusal. In fact, the infuriatingly lazy smile never left his face. He leaned back and looked towards the ceiling before sighing, almost dramatically. Shizune found the fact that he wasn't taking this very seriously to be very suspicious. If the information his boss wanted was so important, wouldn't he be even a little irritated that he wouldn't be getting it?

"It's a shame that I'm not able to speak with any of your other old colleagues," he suddenly said, with a smile. "You see, they're all dead. In fact, I heard they suffered immense pain before they died."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the statement. There was an underlying threat in what he just said. "Are you implying that you and your people had something to do with that?" she growled, seemingly taking the conversation much more seriously.

The man chuckled before speaking, "How do you think we found you?" he said, insinuating that his people gained the information of her whereabouts by torturing her former friends. When she glared at him he put up his hands in a placating manner, "I was just kidding Tsunade-san. Of course, we had nothing to do with it."

His smile said otherwise. If it wasn't for the fact that they were in a public place, Shizune was certain Tsunade-sama would have taken this man's head off. He was clearly dangerous and based on what he said earlier, he didn't work alone. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if his people were watching this meeting.

"Well, I don't want to pressure you," Daichi said as he stood up. "However, if you change your mind, meet me at the town's outskirts in two days. Perhaps by then, you'll realize that money holds more value than pointless loyalty."

The man gave them a slight head nod and then left the teahouse. Shizune breathed as sigh of relief as she saw him leave. The entire conversation had been much too tense for her liking. She looked over towards her master who seemed to be unaffected. However, there was a slight shaking of her hands. It seemed what the man said earlier had rattled her.

Shizune hoped they'd never have to see that 'Daichi' again.

 **~Break~**

"This is so frustrating," Mito groaned. She had recently managed to pop the water balloon with her chakra. It took an entire day for her to figure that out. Now Jiraiya-sensei told her the second step to learning the Rasengan was popping a rubber ball. She thought that it'd not be a big deal, but it was much more challenging than the first step.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Sasuke casting a new fire jutsu he had learned. Mito pouted a bit at how easily Sasuke seemed to learn difficult jutsu. It only took him a couple of hours to learn a supposedly complicated A-Rank fire style jutsu. Her irritation immediately turned to motivation, and she focused her attention of the rubber ball once again.

In the first step, she learned to rotate her chakra in multiple directions to pop the water balloon. Jiraiya sensei said that the second step was about power. She needed to find out how to increase the volume and density of her chakra output. Unlike with the water balloon, there was no water inside to make it easier, and ball's rubber shell was much thicker than that of the balloons.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Caterwaul," she heard Sasuke say. She saw the Last Uchiha compress a lot of chakra in his chest and then he expelled it, created several dragon-headed fireballs. Mito saw a look of immense concentration of Sasuke's face as he began trying to control the movements of the fireballs. Apparently, the user of this jutsu could control the fireballs and direct them towards their target. Sasuke managed to maintain control for a few seconds but soon lost it, and the dragon-head shaped fireballs plummeted into the nearby lake. She noticed that Sasuke looked frustrated by that fact.

"I'm impressed kid," Jiraiya commented after seeing Sasuke's display. "That jutsu is not an easy one to learn. In fact, it was created by Madara Uchiha, so to be able to get the hang of it so quickly is no easy feat."

"I haven't mastered it yet," Sasuke panted, dismissing Jiraiya's praise. "I still can't control the flaming dragon heads for a long enough time. A jutsu is worthless if you can't use it correctly."

"Jeez, what a ray of sunshine," Jiraiya muttered to himself. He then focused his attention back on his apprentice, "Well, Mito, any progress?"

As he asked that, the rubber ball in the girl's hand popped loudly. He nodded his head with a look that said he was impressed. It seemed seeing the Last Uchiha making so much progress motivated her to succeed. He looked towards his apprentice's teammate who was still resting after expelling so much chakra on his last technique. The two kids were good for each other. They both pushed the other to succeed and to never get complacent with what they already had.

He now understood why Kakashi had asked him to train the two of them. If they were cultivated correctly, they could be two of the most powerful shinobi in the Elemental Nations. In his most pleasant dreams, he imagined Mito being Hokage like her father once was. And while the Last Uchiha didn't occupy his dreams, he believed that Sasuke would likely prefer to stay out of the public eye, but the Uchiha boy would no doubt be a power house. These two would surpass him one day, he'd be disappointed if they didn't.

He then presented Mito with the last step in learning the Rasengan, which was containment. He gave her balloon that unlike the previous one was empty of water. While the first two steps required Mito to burst the water balloon and then the rubber ball, this one was different. Mito would need to contain her chakra into a spherical shape inside the balloon. If she weren't able to contain it, the balloon would pop and she'd need to try again.

As his redheaded apprentice got to work on the third step, he leaned against a nearby tree and began to relax. While he would never admit it out loud, he enjoyed traveling with the two kids. He particularly enjoyed Mito, who reminded him a lot of her father. They were both incredibly kind-hearted and talented. On the other hand, while Mito looked similar to her mother, she didn't quite have the same fiery temper. He supposed there would never be another Kushina, she was far too unique, like a rare gem.

His rest was interrupted when he felt and animal pawing at his left arm. He opened his eyes and noticed that it was a dog with a leaf village headband around its neck. No doubt it was one of Kakashi's summons. The Toad Sage saw that there was a scroll attached to the back of the dogs and removed it. He nodded to the canine and the animal burst into a cloud of smoke, no doubt returning to the summoning plain.

He read through Kakashi's message and was shocked at what he saw. While the information about a series of murders was definitely surprising, what really grabbed his attention was the warning at the end. Apparently, Tsunade was in grave danger. He looked at the names of those that had been killed and recognized a few of them. Tsunade used to collaborate with them in the past, he always considered it to be too nerdy for his interest. The people that killed Tsunade's friends would likely be coming for her next. He hoped that he was right about where she would be. He'd need to find her before they do.

There was no time for rest. They'd need to get to Tanzuka-gai immediately.

 **~Break~**

They found her. She was in a teahouse in Tanzuka-gai. From what Jiraiya could observe, she seemed to have just been in a pretty stressful conversation. He and his two genin companions sat before the Senju woman and her attendant. Jiraiya gave Shizune a polite smile which was returned instantly. The niece of Tsunade's former lover was always a sweet kid.

"What do you want Jiraiya," Tsunade asked. The was a slight red-tinge to her cheeks, showing that she was buzzed.

"I came here to tell you that you have been chosen to be the 5th Hokage," Jiraiya asked. He was worried about how the cynical woman would react to his request. Last time he had spoken to her she didn't seem to think too highly of the position of Hokage.

Predictably, she scoffed at his statement, "Then you'd be the second person to present a shitty offer to me tonight."

He narrowed his eyes upon hearing her words. Someone had made her an offer earlier this evening? Did this offer have anything to do with the information Kakashi had given him? Had the people pursuing Tsunade gotten to her before he could?

"Tsunade now isn't the time for your cynicism," he said. "The village needs you, and quite frankly, you're in a bit of trouble right now. I don't know if you've heard, but dangerous people are looking for you."

"Dangerous?" the blond Senju woman asked, after slamming her bottle of alcohol on the table. "The day I start worrying about losers trying to find me is the day pigs fly."

"These 'losers' as you call them, have tortured and killed a lot of your former colleagues, Tsunade. These people are no joke, and they're merciless in their pursuits." Jiraiya warned. "Was the person that offered a deal to you earlier tonight one of them?"

The blonde woman's lack of answer was all he needed. 'Shit,' he thought to himself. 'They got here before I did.'

Tsunade was apparently attempting to drink her problems away. To Jiraiya, this was a far cry from the legendary genius medical shinobi she once was. It saddened him to think that all the tragedies throughout her life had made her forget who she really was. She wasn't an alcoholic gambler up to her knees in debt. She was Tsunade Senju, granddaughter of the First Hokage and one of the Legendary Sannin.

"Ma'am," Mito said politely butted in. "I won't pretend to understand your reason for declining. However, there are people that need you. The position of Hokage is important, and you were chosen for a reason."

"Hokage? Important?" Tsunade asked with a mocking grin. "Don't make me laugh, kid. The Hokage is someone too stupid to realize that their entire existence is a waste. You'll notice that every Hokage in the past has died in battle, in a way that most would consider a noble sacrifice." Sasuke saw that Mito's hands were beginning to clench under the table, "But in the end, no matter what they do, there will always be war. People will always die, and the Hokage are too stupid to realize that their efforts will always be worthless. Only a fool would ever consider becoming Hokage."

Mito suddenly stood up from the table, with an expression showing righteous anger. Everyone was surprised at her sudden movement, but Sasuke wasn't. He had known Mito long enough to know that the Senju woman's words hit a serious nerve within his redheaded teammate. To Mito, the Third Hokage was one of the greatest people she ever knew, and she tried to be someone that he could be proud of. His death had hit her pretty hard and to hear someone disrespecting his legacy and beliefs was bound to set her off.

"Perhaps the Elders were wrong," Mito said surprising Tsunade significantly. "Someone like you has no business wearing the same hat that Old man Hokage wore. You don't deserve to be Hokage."

Before anyone could say anything, the Uzumaki girl stormed out of the restaurant. Sasuke looked back at the table's occupants and then went after her. She was moving pretty fast, but when she was angry, her chakra was pretty easy to sense. When he found her, she was training in the woods in the town's outskirts.

"Well," he said, getting her attention. "That was something."

Mito glanced over her shoulder, but when she saw that it was her Sasuke standing behind her, she immediately went back to training. She was always one who wore her emotions on her sleeve, so it was easy for Sasuke to see that she was upset. He imagined that all the tragic events she had experienced in these past few months were building up to this moment of agony. He wished there was something he could do.

"I think I loved her."

Sasuke's head shot up when he heard his teammate's strange outburst. Loved her? Who was she talking about?

As if she was able to read his mind, she continued, "Hinata," she clarified looking down at the ground in sadness. "I was never able to understand it. But now that she is gone, forever, I'm able to realize just what it was I felt."

Sasuke was beyond surprised at this point. He never imagined his teammate being romantically attracted to anyone, but he figured when she was that it would have been a guy. Did Mito even know what she was saying? "You loved Hinata...as a friend?" he asked carefully.

"You dolt," she said, not looking up from the ground. "After my brother, Hinata was the only person who I felt as though I could truly confide in. Whenever I was feeling upset, I would always feel better after I spent time with her. So to answer your question, I loved her as more than a friend. She felt that way for me too, she told me so. However, I was too afraid of my feelings to tell her the truth. She died not knowing that I felt the same way for her."

At this point Mito was openly weeping, "And then that woman," she growled, obviously referring to Tsunade. "Had the gall to act like dying for something you believe in makes you a fool? Hinata was not a fool, and neither was the Old man. Their deaths weren't for nothing. They were worth something!"

Sasuke slowly approached his sobbing teammate and placed his hand on her shoulder. This only served to make her cry even more. He cursed his inability to understand such an emotional situation. He supposed this is what all guys felt when they had a female friend. Shit, what was he meant to say?

"So…." he began, racking his brain for a way to make her feel better. "You're into women?"

Her body froze, and he immediately cursed his stupidity. 'You're into women?' What a stupid thing to say. That was the best thing he could think of? Jeez, for someone who was considered a genius, he sure felt like a moron. He wished Sakura were here, she'd know how to console Mito.

He once again felt his teammate's body start shaking and thought that she was crying again. However, when she raised her head, it was evident that she was laughing. The expression on her face immediately made the Last Uchiha happy. She turned towards him before speaking.

"You suck at this kind of talk, don't you, Sasuke?" she asked in between laughter. Despite himself, he felt a smirk growing on his face. What do you know? I guess he picked the right thing to say after all.

 **~Break~**

The surrounding area was racked with a vicious explosion. Any and all animals had already fled in the wake of the commotion. If one were to get a little closer to the ruckus, they'd be able to see that much of the area that was once wooded was now submerged in water. And if they were to get even closer they'd see the three figures standing on the water as if it were solid ground.

"Kisame," Itachi scolded in his usual monotone. "I told you not to attract any attention."

The shark looking man merely chuckled at his partner's remark, "Sorry Itachi-san," he said. "This kid has gotten me all excited."

The kid in question was standing across from the two Akatsuki members. Imagine Itachi's surprise when he and Kisame were ordered to track down and eliminate Naruto Uzumaki. He immediately recalled the evening in which he and the blonde Uzumaki conversed in front of the Naka River. It was hard to believe that this boy would get on the Akatsuki's radar.

As if to prove that there was a reason the Leader-sama thought he was dangerous, the boy weaved through a set of hand signs. Immediately, the entire body of water below them began to freeze over. The two missing-nin were forced to jump to prevent themselves being encased in ice. However, they soon found themselves needing to dodge as a massive Ice Dragon came barreling towards them.

It seemed that Kisame wasn't a good match for their opponent. Any water jutsu he used would just be turned into ice and then used against him. Kisame seemed to realize this as well, since he looked towards Itachi for assistance. The Uchiha Clan slayer noticed that the Ice below them began to quickly disappear, leaving only the now dampened forest floor as the battle field.

Itachi calmly jumped from the branch above until he was standing in front of the Uzumaki boy. The kid hadn't said anything since they had confronted him in the woods. Regardless, Itachi was a little amazed by his presence. Naruto had this look in his eye that made you think he knew everything. His facial expression never changed either, as it was seemingly stuck in a serene state as if he were at total peace. It didn't match his actions at all, considering he'd spent the past five minutes in a death match with Kisame.

The two prodigies began to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Itachi was impressed by Naruto's speed and reflexes, but the boy's smaller frame gave Itachi an advantage. Itachi found an opening in the boy's defense and managed to land a kick that launched his opponent back. However, the Uzumaki was able to land gracefully on his feet, with his hands already forming a sign. Upon seeing this, Itachi jumped as wooden roots emerged from the ground and attempted to crush him. Zetsu said that the boy was able to utilize not only Wood Style but also various other nature based kekkai genkai, so Itachi was prepared for anything.

He landed on a branch and immediately saw a wooden hand reach for his ankle. In hind sight, it probably wasn't a good idea to stand on a tree branch while fighting a boy that could utilize wood style. It would appear that taking part in a ninjutsu battle with the young Uzumaki wouldn't be in his best interest. It was time to see how Naruto's mysterious dojutsu would stand up to the Sharingan.

 **~End~**


	9. Chapter Nine

**The modern mind is in complete disarray. Knowledge has stretched itself to the point where neither the world nor our intelligence can find any foot-hold. It is a fact that we are suffering from nihilism (Albert Camus).**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Nine**

The quiet sound of an unoccupied ecosystem did well to build up the tension. As Itachi stood across from his opponent, he couldn't help but be a little impressed. Naruto at thirteen was much stronger than Itachi had been when he was that age. The blonde Uzumaki fought with a level of savvy that only one who had experienced decades of battle should possess. He supposed that he was the same way in that regard, so it wasn't too far fetched.

When thinking about it, he couldn't help but be unnerved by how much of himself he saw in Naruto. The boy fought with a level of perceptiveness that even many elite shinobi would be enviable of. There was also the fact that he and Naruto were both forced to grow up beyond their years at a very young age. He wasn't sure what Naruto had experienced in the past, but it must have been incredibly impactful on his psyche. It was similar to how Itachi's world view shifted after seeing the battle fields of the Third Shinobi War. He wasn't old enough to fight in the conflict, but he remembered seeing the corpses of both ally and enemy alike strewn about as far as his young impressionable eyes could see.

Looking into Naruto's eyes made him desire to uncover the mystery of the boy's past. The look in Naruto's eyes was something even Danzo wouldn't have been able to achieve in the past with his subordinates. Speaking of Danzo, Itachi prided himself on never hating a person, but he did hold some minor disdain for the Shinobi of Darkness. When he found out that Danzo had been killed in his home, he was relieved. Relieved that the man would no longer be a threat to his brother and that Shisui's death was, in a way, avenged. Itachi himself was never one for vengeance, but he did believe in justice; and as much as Itachi respected Danzo's desire to protect the village, the man deserved the justice that was served upon him.

"So efficient in your movements, Itachi-san," Naruto said, finally opening the window for conversation. As usual, Itachi was unable to tell if the boy was telling the truth or not.

"I am impressed with your development as well, Naruto-kun," Itachi complimented genuinely.

Naruto didn't seem to acknowledge Itachi's kindness. The boy was like a stone wall when it came to conversation. You could speak to him all day, but he'd only talk back if he needed to. It was like a person only eating meals so they don't starve. Naruto only interacted with others when he needed to; he was strange like that.

The boy summoned an elegant looking chokuto out of thin air, and Itachi unleashed a barrage of shuriken to halt the blonde's inevitable advance. Naruto blocked them with his blade without a wasted movement and managed to counter an attempted kunai stabbing behind his back. Itachi had tried to blitz him with a shadow clone, but his plan was countered expertly. However, if Itachi were a lesser man, he would have smirked at his opponents predicament.

As he made that thought, his shadow clone explode grandly. The Great Clone Explosion came in handy when fighting tricky opponents. It was impossible to differentiate from a regular shadow clone, which was what made it so deadly. However, after the explosion settled, he saw that there was no blood or remains. Upon seeing this, he immediately prepared for his opponent's counterattack.

As anticipated, a barrage of shuriken were launched towards his back. His Sharingan made evading them far too easy; it was like he was seeing them in slow motion, and a cockier man would have called it child's play. However, as if the universe wanted to challenge his previous confidence, he was immediately forced to tilt his head as a fist sized sphere of lava attempted to take his head off. He observed his surroundings with his Sharingan and saw dozens upon dozens of the same sized lava orbs flying towards him and trying to kill him. He managed to dodge them all gracefully, but it was admittedly a tad bit harder than dodging the kunai.

However, once he had evaded them all, he saw Naruto standing about four-hundred feet away with his hand outstretched. The blonde boy clenched his fist, and as he did so, all the lava spheres Itachi previously dodged converged on the Uchiha all at once, faster than he could dodge while midair. Once they met their target, they exploded in a blast of red fire, powerful enough to shake the surrounding area. Naruto's expression didn't change, even after he had just incinerated another human being. The blast was so powerful that it wouldn't leave a trace of the victim behind.

He turned around and looked at the man he was going to murder next. The Monster of Kirigakure didn't seem too concerned, and the smirk on his face made Naruto pause. He quickly turned back around as he felt a presence behind him and found himself staring into the Mangekyo Sharingan of Itachi Uchiha. He felt himself being dragged into the genjutsu where he'd no doubt be at the Uchiha missing-nin's mercy.

 _The colors of the genjutsu world were bizarre. The sky was a crimson-red, and both Itachi and Naruto appeared to be black and white. Itachi noticed that Naruto didn't seem at all nervous or afraid about his predicament. Which was odd considering the Uzumaki was hanging from a cross and was unable to control any of his movements._

 _Itachi summoned a katana in his hand and pierced Naruto through the abdomen. The smile didn't leave the blonde's face, even as blood began to drip from his mouth. The pain tolerance Naruto was displaying on its own made Itachi begin to understand why this boy was considered a threat. Anyone who could retain such a smile while being stabbed with a sword was not right in the head. Itachi then decided to inform the Uzumaki about his predicament, "For the next seventy-two hours I will continuously stab you with these katanas," Itachi clarified stoically as if he were unaffected by the violence he was inflicting upon this thirteen-year-old. Whether it was real life or genjutsu, torture was torture, and the pain was real in both instances._

 _Regardless, whether Naruto reacted negatively to the pain or not, he still felt it, just like any other person. Suddenly, many copies of Itachi came into existence, and they all stabbed him. For someone like Naruto, the pain was nothing; however, he would still be affected by the mental drain the Tsukuyomi left on its victims after it finished._

 _After being impaled a few more times, Naruto absentmindedly glanced to his right and saw a copy of himself hanging from a cross, also being stabbed. He also noticed that he was feeling the pain that was being inflicted upon the copy. His smile widened a tiny bit, making more blood drip out of his mouth. This jutsu was quite devious, and so was Itachi-san._

 _It felt like hours had gone by as Naruto was repeatedly stabbed over and over. While his gentle smile never left his face, there were clear bags under his eyes from the blood loss. It seemed that his body reacted to injury in this genjutsu the same way it would in the real world. Except, unlike the real world, his wounds healed instantly in Itachi's genjutsu; only for him to be stabbed for what was probably one-hundred times right after. At this point, there were dozens of copies of himself also being stabbed, and the pain was constantly transferring to him. The combination of being stabbed and watching a copy of yourself getting the same treatment and the pain from said copy passing over to you, would drive a normal person insane. Thankfully for Naruto, he wasn't normal._

" _Only seventy-one hours fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds to go," Itachi announced calmly._

 _Naruto looked up at the red moon in the sky as he felt the pain of a thousand stab wounds immediately rack through his body. So, Itachi-san could control everything within this genjutsu world, including the speed in which time flowed? He closed his eyes, looking like a person who was relaxing. Itachi-san was an interesting one indeed._

Once the genjutsu was over, Itachi and Naruto were back in the real world. Naruto felt his legs wobble under him and he had to grip his knees to stay standing. He was able to notice that while seventy-two hours passed in the genjutsu world, less than a second passed in reality. This was definitely the most powerful genjutsu and the most powerful opponent Naruto had ever faced up to this point.

"I'm surprised that you're even able to stay standing," Kisame taunted from several feet back, with a shark-like grin. "Most people collapse and lose consciousness immediately upon gazing into Itachi-san's ultimate genjutsu."

If not for his Uzumaki lineage, Naruto was confident that he would have been put into a coma by the Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu. He would need to formulate an escape plan or else he'd be captured. With what little chakra he had remaining, he formed a single hand sign and the area quickly became blanketed in mist.

"Boil Release," he said calmly, and Itachi was able to notice that his eyes were glowing a bright blue. "Solid Fog Jutsu."

Everything within the surrounding area began to quickly melt due to the acid fog. Naruto was unaffected by it since he was the jutsu caster, but if Itachi and Kisame didn't think fast, they'd be puddles on the ground. Itachi quickly leaped to Kisame's side as the former Kiri-nin waved his massive sword, Samehada. It absorbed a portion of the chakra from the jutsu, which eliminated some of the fog and created a small space in which Itachi and Kisame wouldn't be affected by it.

They looked into the deadly mist and noticed that their target was beginning to meld into the ground. Itachi immediately recognized it as the Hiding in the Surface Jutsu. The user of that jutsu could phase through their surroundings, which allowed for sneak attacks and in this case, an undetected escape. It was a technique that Itachi recognized as one Orochimaru consistently used.

As the boy was nearly completely submerged in the ground, he gave the two Akatsuki members a half-lidded emotionless stare. This was the last thing the two men saw before their target sunk completely, and by extension escaped capture. Soon after the boy left, the mist quickly faded, allowing the duo to let their guards down.

"That kid," Kisame commented with a voice filled with bloodlust. "When we manage to get our hands on him, I'm going to enjoy shaving him to bits."

Itachi ignored the predictable comment and began walking towards the nearest road. Kisame followed soon after, and the two Akatsuki members were off.

 **~Break~**

Tsunade could not get even a moment of sleep. The two days were up, which meant that she would need to go to the outskirts and meet with Daichi. She had finally decided what she needed to do. If she could give credit to anyone for her decision, it would likely be from that mini-Kushina brat that laid into her at the teahouse.

While she wouldn't say she was wrong when she called the girl a brat, she would be lying if she said the brat hadn't earned a bit of her respect. Anybody who was brave enough to speak their mind to her, arguably the grouchiest of the Sannin, had guts. She now knew why Jiraiya thought so highly of the young girl. She would definitely be the heir to his and Minato's legacies. If Tsunade had ever had a daughter, which was once a big dream for her, she'd want the child to grow up to be like Mito. She supposed after she finished with Daichi, she'd apologize to the Uzumaki girl; it was the right thing to do.

She looked at the clock in her hotel room and noticed that she would need to leave now. She made sure that Shizune and Jiraiya weren't privy to the entire ordeal. This was her mistake to fix, and hers alone. As she was walking towards the exit of the hotel, she stopped in front of Shizune's room and thought about her attendant for a few moments. She wasn't sure where she'd be if it weren't for Shizune. In fact, Shizune had probably done more for her than she could ever repay.

After the short interruption, Tsunade made her way to the meeting location, ignoring the occasional catcall from drunk losers. She supposed that was the curse of being beautiful, and yet she wouldn't complain. Her grandfather, Hashirama, would always say that her good looks were a gift from heaven; and who was she to disagree with the first God of Shinobi? Alright, the time for joking was over, she had finally arrived at the meeting place.

She waited for a few moments and then felt multiple chakra signatures converge on her position. Daichi was the first to arrive, and then some black-haired girl and a bunch of cloaked lackeys. So he wasn't lying when he claimed to have associates? That would make things more difficult, but she was always up for a challenge.

"Have you decided, Tsunade-san?" Daichi asked, relaxed, with his hands in his pockets.

Tsunade clenched her fists and gave a glare that would give even the most elite shinobi the shivers. Strangely enough, the young girl who was accompanying the squad of men giggled. "I hope she says no," Miyako practically sang towards Daichi. "I'm sure if we took her to Kami-sama, he could get her talking in no time at all."

Tsunade felt that it was a shame to see someone so young with such a deranged personality. The onyx haired child was now staring into her eyes, and it was clear that she had a few screws loose. First of all, the girl seemingly never blinked and was practically bouncing on her feet in anticipation. And secondly, who the hell was this 'Kami-sama?'

"You know what my answer is," Tsunade growled. She would kill these people, here and now.

"I know what you answer is," Daichi said, repeating her words with a lazy smile. "That's why I have insurance.

Daichi snapped his fingers, and another generic cloaked figure jumped from the shadows, and what he brought with him made her heart stop. Against her will, Shizune was being held captive, with a kunai pressed against her neck. She had kept Shizune out of the loop to avoid this very situation!

"Tell us who contracted the services of Beautiful Minds, or your loyal attendant will die," Daichi said, giving his final ultimatum.

All Tsunade could hear was the thunderous beating of her heart. This was her worst fear come true and she couldn't think of any way to get out of this predicament. As she racked her brain for a solution, she noticed that the man holding Shizune captive pressed the blade into the woman's neck a bit more, drawing blood. Seeing the blood made Tsunade go pale with fear; did they know that she suffered from hemophobia?

"W-Wait!" she shouted in panic. "I'll tell you, just don't hurt her!"

Daichi inclined his head, and the man lessened the pressure of the blade. Tsunade noticed that Daichi was looking at her expectantly and figured that his patience was up. She quickly told him what he wanted to know, "The man's name was Hiroshi," she stammered. "He would set up meetings in different locations all around Fire Country. However, he never revealed anything about himself. That is all I know, I swear. Now let her go!"

"Hm, Hiroshi, eh?" Daichi hummed to himself before casually looking towards the sky. "Interesting, very interesting."

He then nodded towards his subordinate, and without hesitation, the man slashed Shizune's throat. Tsunade was too shocked to move as her bleeding attendant was then thrust into her arms. Shizune was still alive, but if she didn't receive treatment soon, she'd die. "Sorry about this," Daichi said, not sounding genuinely sorry in the slightest. "My boss doesn't like loose ends, and with your death, the information dies with you. Wouldn't want you telling anyone else, right?"

The sociopath nodded towards Miyako and began to walk away. The psychotic girl grinned, and a dark aura rose from her body, in preparation to kill the blonde Senju. It would be easy; the woman was in too much shock due to the blood. However, before Miyako could form her attack, she was slugged across the face harder than she had ever been hit before. She bounced across the ground several times and found herself lying on her back. She looked up to see who hit her and was surprised at who she saw.

"Mito-chan," she greeted with a smile. "It is good to see you again!"

The redheaded Uzumaki was more enraged than she had ever been before in her entire life. Standing before her, was the person who killed Hinata, the girl that she loved. She felt the raging chakra of the Kyuubi begin to flow through her veins, but she was too blinded by anger to notice. She was entirely focused on the enemy standing in front of her; to her, nothing else mattered at the moment.

Sasuke soon arrived on the scene as well and engaged the seven cloaked men in taijutsu. They were skilled, but his Sharingan gave him an advantage. After finding an opening during the fight, he leaped back and intentionally gave his opponents an opening to attack. The cloaked men converged on him, and each stabbed him with a kunai, but at the last second, he replaced himself with a log that was covered in explosive tags. His opponents were launched back due to the strength of the blast and were instantly incapacitated.

He brought his attention towards his teammate and saw that her eyes were red with vertical slits, just like that time near Orphanage 8. "Mito, we need to be smart," he warned. "We don't know much about our two opponents. We have to approach this with level-heads."

The man known as Daichi halted in his track and turned around. Looking at Mito, he was defiantly able to see the similarities between her and Naruto. They were completely identical, with only their hair being different. However, the girl's face produced much more emotion than Naruto's ever did. He absentmindedly wondered how two twins could be so different? He also noticed the red chakra that was currently making itself visible from her body. This wouldn't be good for Miyako, as her jutsu wasn't as useful against people whose chakra could over power her ability. No doubt the Kyuubi's chakra would be able to do that.

Before Miyako could attempt to attack Tsunade again, Mito and Sasuke both blitzed her, forcing her to dodge. She looked towards Daichi-san, and he nodded to her. She smiled and began to flee the area, with the two Konoha genin in hot pursuit. Mito because she was enraged and the Kyuubi's chakra was influencing her decision making, and Sasuke because he felt as though Mito would need help. Without knowing it, they fell right into Daichi's plans and left Tsunade all alone.

Now that Daichi was alone he began to walk towards Tsunade. As he made his way to her, he quickly executed his incapacitated subordinates. They were quickly taken out by the Uchiha genin, so they were of little use to him. He looked up from the bloody corpses of his former comrades and once again made his way towards his target. Tsunade didn't seem to acknowledge his presence as she was too busy staring at the blood coating her hands. He smirked at the woman for having such a pathetic phobia. How could a person be afraid of blood? It made up seven percent of every human being's body weight, so it was strange for a person to fear something that was critical to their survival. Before he could finish her off, he was hit by an intensely hot stream of fire.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya yelled as he arrived at the scene. He was at a loss for words at what he was seeing. Shizune would die at this rate! He remembered Tsunade's attendant when she was still a little girl. She didn't deserve to die this way in a place like this. "Tsunade! You need to get it together or she'll-"

He was interrupted as he had to dodge an axe kick that would have instantly crushed his skull. In the crater left by the attack, he saw the man that he would no doubt have to fight. How was the guy still alive? He hit him dead on with that fire jutsu. "I'll be your opponent today, Jiraiya-san," Daichi said casually. "I hope that you impress me more than your teammate has so far."

Jiraiya glanced back towards Tsunade but was immediately forced to bring his attention back to his opponent as a back-fist almost took his head off. It seemed that the man was attempting to separate him from Tsunade. 'Shit,' he thought to himself. 'This guy isn't giving me many options.'

Back with Tsunade, she was staring down at her dying student in utter shock. Her body was shivering, and she was unable to formulate any thoughts. As she looked down at her apprentice, she couldn't help but be flashed with images of her tragic past. She remembers seeing her little brother Nawaki's mutilated corpse after he had fallen into an enemy trap. Next, she was flashed with images of her attempting to save her dying lover, Dan, and how he died in her arms. Tears fell from her eyes when she remembered how weak she felt during both of those moments.

The medic-nin in her subconsciously acknowledged that Shizune would die in one minute if nothing were done. She attempted to form the Mystical Palm technique to save her precious comrade but found herself unable to control her chakra. Her, the woman renowned throughout the world for having the best chakra control, was too rattled to use a standard medical jutsu? She finally realized just how far she had fallen during her multiple decades of self-exile. However, all of her negative thoughts were soon blocked out as she heard the voice of Sarutobi-sensei in her mind.

' _It doesn't matter what you do, if you live and die as you like. However, no matter what road you end up taking, remember to protect the people that are precious to you,'_ she heard her sensei's voice echo through her mind. It was something that he had told her, Jiraiya and Orochimaru long ago when they were genin. Recalling the pleasant memory allowed her to finally block out her fear.

Her eyes steeled, and immediately her hands were coated in the green healing chakra of the Mystic Palm technique. She placed her hands over Shizune's throat and was ecstatic to see the neck wound slowly closing. Had it been anyone else other than her attempting to heal this level of an injury, they would have failed. However, she was Tsunade Senju, the greatest medic-nin in the world.

As she finally managed to close the wound and stop the bleeding she dug through the medic pouch Shizune conveniently had attached to her obi and grabbed a Blood Increasing Pill. Tsunade had ceased carrying such items years ago when she decided to quit being a medic-nin. So it was fortuitous that Shizune still carried such things at all times. She placed the pill in Shizune's mouth and manually helped the younger woman chew it. After the pill was ingested color began to return to Shizune's face, and Tsunade sighed in relief.

She hugged her unconscious student once she realized that she was finally no longer at risk of death. She raised her head and saw Jiraiya fighting Daichi to a standstill. It was clear that Jiraiya was more powerful and skilled, however none of his attacks seemed to injure his opponent. She glared bloody murder at the man who attempted to order the death of her prized disciple and stood up. She noticed that her body was no longer shivering and that she was thinking with a level of clarity she hadn't possessed in a long time.

She launched herself towards Jiraiya's opponent at astounding speed. She focused an immense amount of chakra into her right hand and struck him right in the head. Daichi was sent careening back for what seemed like hundreds of feet before his back hit a large boulder. The force of his impact left an indent in the stone surface.

"I won't allow you to harm my comrades," Tsunade announced in righteous fury. "Those who attempt to harm my people will have to first go through me. That is my first decree as the 5th Hokage!"

Jiraiya stared at the back of his former teammate in awe. However, he soon smirked and walked forward to stand at her side. It seemed he had the honor of fighting together with the newest Hokage.

 **~Break~**

Sasuke didn't know who he should be more worried about; the psychotic killer, Miyako or his rage fueled teammate, Mito. He had spent the past five minutes watching Mito attempt to slaughter her opponent, and was beginning to feel uneasy. He knew that Mito had all the reason in the world to despise Miyako, but this type of animalistic bloodlust shouldn't be possible for someone so kind hearted. He was at least happy to see that unlike last time, Mito was able to tell who he was and didn't try to murder him; so he supposed some progress was being made.

He shifted his attention to the person Mito had been fighting and narrowed his eyes. Unlike everyone else in his graduating class, he had been unable to see the battle between Miyako and Hinata during the Chunin Exams. So seeing the onyx haired girl's jutsu for the first time was a sight to behold. He was smart enough to know that the dark cloud of chakra that she used to form her attacks would kill a person if it made contact. Thankfully, due to his training before his fight with Gaara, he had become fast enough to dodge and perhaps even get past her onslaught.

He was able to notice that for some odd reason, Mito was strangely resistant to Miyako's jutsu. Rather than turning Mito into ash, all Miyako's jutsu did was leave some burn marks on the redheaded Uzumaki; burn marks that healed shortly after. This only made him more curious about the foreign chakra his teammate had lying dormant within her. To be able to resist a jutsu that apparently kills upon impact is no small feat.

Mito swatted a cloud of black chakra away from her and then leaped at Miyako. However, she soon found herself unable to use her right arm. She looked towards it and saw that is was hanging limply at her side. Upon noticing the strange injury, she regained some of her senses and decided to approach the battle with more of a level head. She dodged another cloud of chakra and landed at Sasuke's side.

It seemed that while she had a strong resistance to Miyako's ability, she wasn't completely immune. After slashing through her opponent's corrosive chakra too many times, she lost all feeling in her right arm. She'd need to be more careful as the battle continued. She looked over at Sasuke with her eyebrow raised; he was the idea guy, so she'd follow his lead.

When working as a tandem Mito and Sasuke didn't need to exchange words to fight at an optimal level. Only slight glances, head nods, and hand signals were necessary. The eyebrow raise was Mito's way of asking him to take the lead. Sasuke's brain immediately began going over the options they had available before them. However, he soon got an idea that he liked and signaled for Mito to follow him.

If things went as planned this fight would end fairly quickly; that was the benefit of having a numbers advantage. Sasuke launched a fireball towards Miyako and Mito followed up with a water bullet of the same size. This was the first step in his plan; decreasing visibility for their opponent. The collision of the fire and water techniques created a dense mist that disrupted Miyako's ability to see for a few moments.

As the fog dissipated Miyako was forced to duck as Mito attempted to stab her with a kunai. The two spent the next few minutes playing a cat and mouse game in which Mito would try to get close to her enemy. However, Miyako knew that letting Mito get close would be a mistake. Since the redhead was able to resist her ability, she was in danger of getting hit by one of the Uzumaki girl's close range attacks. No, letting Mito get close could be a fatal mistake. However, if Miyako were paying attention, she would have noticed the fact that Mito was fighting a bit differently than she normally did. Suddenly, her redheaded opponent jumped into the treeline, leaving Miyako all alone.

Miyako surveyed the area for her intended target. Unlike Mito, Sasuke Uchiha would not be able to resist her ability. If she managed to hit him, he would die shortly after. In doing so, Mito Uzumaki would be one more step closer to enlightenment. Miyako assumed that Kami-sama would want Sasuke dead since the last Uchiha was friends with Mito. During the Chunin Exams, Daichi-san told Miyako to kill Hinata for the simple fact that she and Mito were so close. So it wasn't too much of a stretch for her to think Sasuke would need to go to; this was her opportunity to prove herself to her god.

She saw the object of her thoughts attempting to attack her from behind. The last Uchiha tried to punch her in the temple with his left hand. Miyako smirked at the stupidity of her opponents. Between the two of them, Sasuke was the only one who was at a risk of being killed by her ability; and they decided it would be smart for him to try and take her alone, at close range? This would be much easier than fighting Mito. She would give the last Uchiha an opening, he would take the bait and get close to her, and then she would kill him.

Miyako's preferred way of killing an opponent was to allow them to get close. She knew that a smart opponent would realize that taijutsu was not her strong suit. So she would enable them to get close to her, thinking they were going to sneak in a strike; and then she would kill them by producing a spear of chakra either from her stomach or one of her hands, impaling her attacker and killing them instantly. It was actually how she killed Hinata Hyuga.

She intentionally missed him with her long distance attack so he would come to attack her head on. Sasuke took the bait and dashed towards her. And as he was a few feet away from her, she noticed an odd orb of chakra in his left hand. Miyako was surprised, having never seen such a technique before in her life. Her surprise turned into glee when her opponent got in reaching distance of her. Her black chakra erupted from her hand and went right for the Uchiha's chest; this would be the end of him.

However, much to her shock, her jutsu only left a faint burn mark on her chest. It was at this moment that she realized that Sasuke hadn't used his right arm at all during their fight. She looked at his right arm and saw that it was limp, which was odd since it was Mito's arm which she had injured earlier on in the fight and not his. Her eyes widened, and she realized her foolishness. The 'Uchiha' in front of her was soon surrounded in a plume of smoke, revealing himself to be Mito under henge. Before Miyako could do anything, the orb of chakra in the Uzumaki girl's left hand was thrust into her abdomen. She felt the air knocked out of her as the drill-like orb of chakra dug into her flesh. She was launched back into the trunk of a thick tree and found herself unable to move as she was now lying face first on the ground.

She looked up at the other 'Mito' standing further back before she too popped into smoke, revealing her to be Sasuke under henge. It was obvious what their plan was now that she was able to see the results. They combined their fire and water style jutsu to hide in the mist while they henged into one another. They knew that Miyako would let Sasuke in close since he wouldn't be able to resist her ability, so Mito transformed into her Uchiha teammate for that very reason.

Miyako felt like such a fool. If she were as smart as Kami-sama, she would have kept note of Mito's paralyzed arm and wouldn't have fallen for their trick. Her two opponents softly landed in front of her, and she realized that she wouldn't be able to fight any longer. She wobbled to her feet and stared into the eyes of the girl who had just gravely injured her. She could see that Mito and Sasuke weren't going to kill her. No, they were going to capture her, and perhaps to send her to Konoha for interrogation.

As this thought crossed her mind, Miyako reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai knife. Sasuke and Mito didn't seem particularly worried; they knew that they had their opponent beat. Mito went to step forward so that she could disarm their future captive but was shocked at what happened next.

"Thank you, Kami-sama," Miyako said with a tear filled smile before plunging the kunai into the side of her neck.

Mito and Sasuke watched in stunned silence as their opponent committed suicide right in front of them. They had heard before that some shinobi thought it was better to take their own life than to be captured and interrogated. But it was one thing to hear about it and another thing entirely to see it.

Mito thought she would be happy at seeing Miyako's dead body lying before her, but she wasn't. She was sickened by the violence of her opponent's death and immediately fell to her knees and vomited on the ground. This was the first time Mito had seen someone die directly in front of her. It made it worse that the death was directly caused by her own actions.

She felt Sasuke place a comforting hand on her back and felt a bit better. Sasuke was no doubt more numb to violence since at a young age he walked in on his entire clan having been brutally murdered, so it was no surprise that he was taking it better than she was. Once again Sasuke was comforting her when she needed it most; and for the first time since her brother and Hinata, Mito realized that she had another person she could trust entirely. Upon making that realization she decided on something else, Sasuke Uchiha was without a doubt her closest friend.

"Sasuke," she said. "Why is it that I am feeling sad about the death of a person who killed someone so precious to me?" She looked into his eyes intently, hoping he had an answer. "Does it make me weak to feel sadness for an enemy?"

Sasuke didn't say anything for a few moments, and she almost thought that he was going to ignore her. However, he soon said something that she would never forget, "No, you're not weak," he clarified. "You feel that way for your enemy because you have a genuinely kind heart. Most people are easily dragged into thoughts of vengeance and violence since it is easy for humans to feel hate for their enemy. However, it takes a truly strong person to look past those feelings of hatred. And in that regard, you're the strongest person I know, Mito."

She was stunned after hearing his answer, as she had never heard such a heartfelt statement from her teammate before. She quickly recovered her senses and lunged towards him, revealing in his shocked expression. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a tight friendly hug. He awkwardly put his hands around her too, apparently not used to such a gesture. He then noticed something a little gross.

"You're getting your leftover vomit on my shirt." he stated in his typical monotone.

Mito didn't respond to his complaint, in fact, she hugged him even tighter. Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked towards the sky. It was close moments like these where he was the most at peace. He thought back on what he said to Mito earlier and felt like a hypocrite. If Mito was strong for being able to ignore the desire for revenge, what did that make him? Was he weak for spending the past six years wanting to kill his brother?

He immediately stored those negative thoughts into the back of his mind and focused back on his teammate. She pulled away from the hug and gave him a bright, toothy grin. Could she possibly understand how important that smile was to him? He realized that what he was feeling right now was something special. There was no romantic attraction between the two of them, and yet, they relied on each other so much.

He supposed that was what true friendship was.

 **~Break~**

'Its like punching tempered steel,' Tsunade noted after decking Daichi in the face once again. However, even steel would usually give way under the strength of her strikes. But no matter how many times she and Jiraiya hit their opponent it didn't seem to affect him at all. She had never heard of such an ability before, which was saying something since she was very well versed in the chakra and anatomy.

Daichi stood up once more, with that lazy smile still plastered on his face. It was enraging that for once; she wouldn't be able to knock the smirk off her opponent's face. This fight was going nowhere, and she wasn't getting any ideas about how to solve the problem. It was at this moment that she oddly missed fighting by Orochimaru's side. Back in the old days, when he wasn't a sociopath, Orochimaru was an incredibly reliable comrade. She had little doubt that he would have been able to devise a strategy to bypass their opponent's strange invulnerability.

She looked towards Jiraiya and noticed that he too was racking his brain for a solution. It would simply be a waste of chakra for them to continuously barrage Daichi with physical attacks. Her first solution was to try genjutsu, but their invulnerable opponent proved skilled enough to dispel all her attempts. This guy was good, easily good enough to be an S-Rank shinobi.

"Tsunade," Jiraiya said getting her attention. She immediately smirked confidently as she realized that he must have a plan. Perhaps Jiraiya was a little more intelligent than she gave him credit for? No doubt over the past few decades her teammate grew to be a wise warrior with sagely knowledge, like Sarutobi-sensei.

"Tsunade, do you have any ideas? I'm stumped."

She felt the momentary admiration drain from her body as she sweat dropped. Jiraiya would never change, which she supposed wasn't necessarily a bad thing. However, she was more concerned about ending this fight. She wouldn't want to the only Hokage to die minutes after taking the position. That would be a pretty embarrassing legacy.

"Physical attacks are useless against him," she said. "And I don't possess any genjutsu that would be strong enough to beat him. We need to try and discover a weakness in his defense. I need you to probe his defense while I observe."

Her white-haired teammate nodded and summoned a medium-sized toad. He did his odd little dance while standing on top of the amphibian summon and introduced himself as 'the Gallant Jiraiya.' Yep, he hadn't changed a bit in the past three decades.

Much like she had seen him do back in the day, he launched a fires style attack while the toad he was on top off spat a stream of oil. The fire combined with the flammable oil and made contact with their opponent in a blaze of glorious flames. When the fire receded Daichi was revealed to be unharmed, however, Tsunade learned something that may be substantial.

"Jiraiya," she said, getting the attention of the man who was pouting at his failure. The man's summon disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and he landed by her side, "I don't know if you've noticed, but his clothes always remain intact." The Toad Sage raised an eyebrow, and she decided to clarify, "Even if his body is invulnerable, his clothing would still be at risk for being destroyed; and yet, there is not even a single mark on them."

Jiraiya looked towards their opponent and noticed that Tsunade was right. He narrowed his eyes as he understood the implication of her words. Even so, she continued her explanation, "I don't believe his body is invulnerable," she said. "I don't know how he does it, but I think that he is constantly protecting himself with a layer of chakra. It covers every inch of his body and negates all external attacks."

"Meaning," Jiraiya interrupted, showing that he too was battle smart. "If he were to run out of chakra, his defense would disappear."

The blonde Sannin nodded her head. It wasn't much of a huge discovery, considering they still didn't have a surefire way of defeating their opponent. However, at least they were able to discover how his jutsu worked. It would make devising a strategy to defeat him a bit easier. If only one of them had a technique capable of absorbing chakra.

As she made that thought her eyes widened and she whipped her head towards Jiraiya. Before she could say anything he spoke, "I'm way ahead of you, Tsunade," he said. He was writing a strange symbol on his hand with a paintbrush. She wasn't exactly a seal master, but she knew the particular seal Jiraiya was creating very well. It was a seal that was created by her granduncle, Tobirama Senju. It allowed the user to absorb an opponent's chakra through the seal; which was either placed on a piece of paper or the user's palm.

Now the next issue would be trying to find an opportunity for Jiraiya to put the seal on Daichi. The seal on Jiraiya's hand was transferable by touch, so all he'd need to do is tap his palm on their opponent's abdomen, and it would be game over. However, it was a one shot move, and if Jiraiya missed during the attempted transfer, the seal would disappear. Thankfully, Daichi didn't seem to be aware of their plan; either that or he wasn't concerned enough to do anything about it.

The best way to distract their opponent from their plan would be to create a seemingly greater threat. With that in mind, Tsunade activated her ultimate jutsu; Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration: One Hundred Healings. Daichi raised his eyebrows when he saw the seal spread from her forehead and over her entire body. This was the absolute pinnacle of chakra control and medical ninjutsu. Any and all damage made against the user would be instantly healed, allowing them not to have to worry about taking damage. There was also the benefit of the jutsu increasing the power of the user's chakra enhanced strength.

Tsunade leaped in the air and raised her leg to perform an axe kick. Daichi didn't seem to be concerned as her heel made contact with his shoulder. However, his eyes soon widened in surprise when he actually felt some pain.

"Heavenly Foot of Pain," Tsunade yelled. He the area her opponent had been standing in was obliterated, almost looking like a small meteorite landed in the area.

The force of the kick left, and large crater and there was dust and dirt in the air, preventing Tsunade from seeing her opponent. As the dust cleared, she was astonished at what she saw. Daichi was breathing fairly hard, and there were quite a few nearly invisible cracks over most of his body. She watched as the cracks seemingly melded until they were completely gone. This proved she was correct with her earlier assumption; he was, in fact, covering his body with a transparent layer of protective chakra. She just discovered that with enough force the chakra shell could be cracked and perhaps even destroyed.

The only problem was, she put as much power into that last kick as she possibly could. Meaning, her most powerful attacks would only be able to crack his defense, not destroy it. She supposed that if she wasn't a medic, she might possess an offensive jutsu powerful enough to destroy Daichi's defense. However, she soon realized that that was a weak excuse. Her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, was a skilled medic, yet she was sure he possessed many techniques powerful enough to demolish Daichi's chakra shield easily. This only proved even more just how much of a man among boys her grandfather was in his heyday.

Once he recovered from the powerful attack, Daichi straightened back up and smiled. "I'm impressed, Tsunade-san," he casually said. "Perhaps I spoke too soon when I said you were a disappointment. You're the first person to damage my defense in a long time. However, it won't be happening again."

As he made his proclamation, Tsunade noticed the air around him began to distort. She narrowed her eyes at the dangerous sight. It seemed Daichi was increasing his chakra output, and therefore, increasing the density of his defense. Tsunade was unaware that he was able to make his chakra shell stronger. She hoped Jiraiya was making progress with his portion of the plan.

"Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique," she heard the Toad Sage announce from behind her. She watched as a massive toad plummeted from the sky directly onto Daichi. However, it was dispelled almost immediately, and Daichi was revealed to once again, be completely unharmed. This time it was clear that he pierced Jiraiya's summon with his right hand. Showing Tsunade that his chakra shell allows for an increase in attack power as well.

"Perhaps it's time I start taking action," Daichi said with an arrogant smirk. He formed the hand seal typically associated with earth style jutsu and made his move. "Earth Style: Golem Technique."

The jutsu was pretty self-explanatory; a colossal golem made of pure stone rose from the ground, with Daichi standing on its head. This officially stopped being a battle of shinobi and became a clash of titans.

 **~Break~**

The scene Sasuke and Mito walked into was something out of their wildest dreams. In a large grassy plain a few miles away from their fight with Miyako, they were finally able to see the strength of an S-Rank battle. The two Legendary Sannin that were still loyal to the village were avoiding the strikes of a massive earth golem.

However, what shocked them the most was seeing Tsunade Senju, who they thought to be a gambling drunk, destroy one of the golem's arms with a single punch. Mito gulped when she recalled insulting the blonde woman the previous evening. She envisioned herself as a splat on the ground with the enraged Senju Princess standing over her and began to chuckle nervously. Sasuke sweat dropped when he noticed his teammate's behavior. Perhaps this would teach Mito to be more careful about who she mouthed off to?

"Brat!" Tsunade shouted, obviously addressing Mito. Tsunade jumped to the two Konoha genin's sides while Jiraiya continued to fight of the stone golem.

Sasuke immediately noticed something different about Tsunade, and it had nothing to do with her appearance. No, she felt like a different person than she was the previous evening. There was an air of confidence and security about her that would typically be associated with great leaders. He watched as Tsunade asked if Mito was alright and then healed the redhead's numb right arm. The blonde haired Senju began telling Mito everything about Daichi and his ability and then proceeded to explain to her the plan she and Jiraiya had created for defeating him. After finishing, she turned to Sasuke.

"What about you, Uchiha brat?" she asked, surprising him with her attention. "Are you injured as well?"

Sasuke shook his head and brought his attention back to the battle in front of him. Watching one of the Legendary Sannin fight was awesome, to say the least. The other time he was able to see a Sannin in combat was when Orochimaru almost scarred him for life in the Forest of Death. Watching from a distance was much better for his health, that was for sure.

"You two," Tsunade said, getting Sasuke's attention again. "I know that you have a desire to help, but I'm going to need you to stay out of the way." Mito was about to protest, but Tsunade silenced her with a glare. "Half a mile back you'll find Shizune, she's unconscious, and I need you to look after her." Mito looked down in disappointment, and Tsunade's glare turned into a look of understanding, "I know that you're excited to prove what you can do, but this battle is a bit out of your league. Some day in the future you'll be the one telling someone from the younger generation to stand back while you fight. But until that day comes, I need you to do as I say. Now go! That is an order from your Hokage."

Sasuke nodded instantly, understanding the chain of command. He darted in the direction she pointed out, and Mito followed soon after. It was evident that his redheaded teammate was upset at being put to the side, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a bit miffed about it as well. This would have been an excellent opportunity to test his development. The fight earlier today with Miyako required Mito to do most of the fighting, and it made him a bit restless.

Once they reached Shizune, they were surprised to see that she was covered in dried blood. Mito frantically checked her for any injuries and found that there were none. It seemed that Tsunade was as skilled of a medic as she was reputed to be. He remembered seeing Shizune bleeding from the neck when he and Mito showed up at the scene. Mito was under the influence of that red chakra, so all she noticed was Miyako. If she had seen Shizune's dying state, he doubted she would have so willingly chased after Miyako in the first place. Even when enraged, Mito would never put revenge over the life of a person, even if it was someone she barely knew.

Mito helped Tsunade's apprentice into a sitting position, and the woman's eyes fluttered open. Shizune immediately gasped for breath, almost as if he was expecting not to be able to breathe. She looked at the two genin in surprise and then surveyed the area; no doubt looking for her master.

"Where is Tsunade-sama?" she asked frantically. "Is she alright?"

Mito rubbed the older woman's back reassuringly. "Don't worry, she's fine. In fact, I'd say she's better than ever." Mito stated in an attempt to put Shizune at ease. "You should be proud; you're the apprentice of the 5th Hokage."

Shizune was taken aback by Mito's statement; her master was now the 5th Hokage? Tears began to flow down her cheeks, and she laughed softly in what could only be described as pure bliss. She had been by Tsunade-sama's side for decades and had hoped and prayed that her master would rise up from her constant depression. Knowing that her master would be achieving the dream that Nawaki and Dan once possessed, made Shizune happy beyond words. Her master wouldn't be remembered as a gambling drunk, not anymore. No, she would be revered as the 5th Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato.

"She and Jiraiya-sensei are fighting that man now," Mito continued after allowing Shizune to have her moment. "She ordered Sasuke and me to check and make sure you're okay. If you ask me, she may already be a little too good at bossing people around."

Shizune chuckled at the redhead's statement and made to stand up; however, she found that her body was still weakened from her previous near-death experience. She decided to listen as Mito filled her in on everything that had happened since she lost consciousness. Sasuke noticed that Mito intentionally left out the information of Miyako committing suicide, and he couldn't really blame her.

Mito was much more considerate of people feelings than he was. He frequently ruffled people's feathers with his blunt, no nonsense way of saying things. That was another reason he and Mito were such a great team, it wasn't all about how they performed on the battlefield. He was the calm and calculated mind, and she was the social butterfly, that in his opinion, was a little too trusting. She made up for his paranoia, and he made sure nobody took advantage of her kind nature. It was in this way that they made up for each other's flaws.

At Shizune's request, Mito and Sasuke helped her get a better view of the battle so they could see what was going on. They were able to see that no matter how many times Jiraiya and Tsunade hit the giant golem, it would just regenerate. It had to be frustrating fighting a person who was impervious to physical damage and also able to summon an indestructible golem.

"Sasuke," Mito asked in a voice that was laced with seriousness. "What would you say if I told you that I have an idea for how to help end this fight?"

Sasuke glanced at her and raised his eyebrow in curiosity, "I'd say that you should run it by me first, before you make a fool of yourself."

Mito smirked at his friendly banter and leaned over to whisper in his ear. As Sasuke heard her plan unfold, he found that he too began to smirk. If what Mito was saying were actually possible, they could help end this fight quickly.

 **~Break~**

"Jiraiya, have you noticed?" Tsunade asked as they avoided another attack from the golem.

"You mean the giant stone creature attacking us?" he responded sarcastically. "Yeah, it took me a while, but I managed to notice it."

"No, you smart ass," Tsunade huffed. "This guy hasn't moved an inch since he increased the density of his chakra shell."

Now that Jiraiya thought about it, he did notice that their opponent had become far less mobile after he upgraded his defense. Earlier in the fight he was constantly moving around and trying to kill them in close combat; but now, he was just standing at the top of his golem. "Are you implying that he sacrificed mobility in exchange for a stronger defense?" he asked.

Daichi must have realized that enough of Tsunade's powerful strikes may actually be able to do damage, so he added more chakra into his outer shell. Could it be possible that by doing so, he was now unable to move as freely? If so, he was likely attempting to hide his lack of mobility by summoning the golem.

"Exactly," Tsunade clarified. "Meaning, if you can get close to him, you should be able to place the seal on his body without him being able to dodge."

"That's easier said than done," Jiraiya responded. "He must have figured out that we had something like this planned. His golem has done all it can to make sure that we don't get close."

They needed to find a way to immobilize and disable the golem. The problem was, neither Jiraiya or Tsunade were very proficient with any lightning style jutsu.

"We can help with that," a voice he recognized announced.

The two Sannin turned around and saw both Mito and Sasuke standing behind them. Tsunade was about to reprimand them but stopped when she saw the look of concentration on Mito's face. The Uzumaki's eyes were closed tightly, and her hands were in the ram sign. She was focusing so much of her chakra that it was beginning to become visible.

Jiraiya seemed to understand what Mito was trying to do and spoke, "Tsunade, we need to buy her time so she can complete the jutsu."

Tsunade didn't like being kept in the dark, but she decided that the time for lengthy explanations was over. She saw that the golem was attempting to crush them with its fist, so she countered it with a chakra enhanced punch. The rock creature's entire arm crumbled to the ground but soon reformed about as quickly as it was destroyed.

'Whatever that brat is planning, it better be good,' she thought as she continued to buy the young genin time.

After a few moments of waiting, something finally happened. Surprisingly, multiple golden glowing chains emerged from Mito's lower back and wrapped themselves around the golem, immobilizing it instantly. The creature attempted to rip itself out from the chakra chains but was soon electrocuted. Daichi looked on in shock as he saw Sasuke Uchiha streaming lightning chakra through the Uzumaki girl's chains. It seemed that the Uchiha knew that earth jutsu were weak against lightning jutsu. The golem began to crumble and Daichi, unable to move, fell to the ground.

He slowly stood up and cursed his inability to move before formin a hand sign, perhaps in an attempt to use another earth jutsu, but was soon shocked when he felt someone press their hand on him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Jiraiya standing behind him with his palm on his back. Before he could even blink, he felt his chakra rapidly leaving him and for the first time in a while, his shell of protective chakra receded. Daichi cursed the double edged sword that was his kekkai genkai. The more strength he put into his chakra shell, the more he was weighed down by the dense chakra. He had been so worried about the Sannin woman breaking through his defense with her punches that he didn't even consider the risks a lack of mobility presented.

When he finally managed to regain his bearings he saw that he was being charged by the enraged 5th Hokage. Daichi was immediately struck directly in the sternum, and for the first time in a long time, he felt pain. He was launched back so fast that he couldn't even see his surroundings. When he finally stopped moving, he realized that he was unable to move at all. The Senju woman's punch had caused internal bleeding, and he'd die soon if he didn't get help.

Daichi looked up at the sky and chuckled at his predicament. He supposed this was why arrogance had no place on a battle field. He was foolish enough to believe that two of the Legendary Sannin wouldn't be able to figure out the weakness of his ability. However, he could have never accounted for the fact that Mito would suddenly be able to access the Hidden Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan. If the two genin were here, it must have meant that Miyako was either dead or incapacitated. Either way, it was impressive that they were able to defeat her.

Suddenly, the sun was blotted out by a silhouette of Tsunade Senju preparing to demolish him with another one of her insanely powerful axe kicks. He tried to move out of the way but found that his injury was preventing it. He was certain he was about to die, but then a shadow on the ground snaked towards him and pulled him out of the way at the last second.

He looked over towards his rescuer and saw a figure in a black hooded cloak with long wide sleeves that covered his hands from view. The figure's face was hidden entirely by the hood of the cloak and a blank white porcelain mask. Daichi chuckled mirthlessly as he recognized who it was.

"Arata," he greeted casually as if he wasn't dying from internal bleeding. "Did he send you?"

"I have been observing you under his orders," the man now identified as Arata responded in a dull monotone. "Miyako is dead."

"What a shame," Daichi said with a voice that showed he didn't care at all. It was no surprise though, individuals like Daichi didn't get emotionally attached to people.

"We're leaving," Arata said as he placed his hand on Daichi's shoulder. Tsunade and Jiraiya tried to stop them, but the two men sank into a shadow on the ground and disappeared entirely.

"Did you see that?" Jiraiya asked. "Those were Nara Clan shadow techniques."

"Dammit," Tsunade mumbled as she realized that they let their opponent escape. However, she put her negative thoughts behind her as she looked back towards the two genin that proved crucial to the victory.

Mito was hunched over, clearly exhausted after using the Adamantine Sealing Chains for the first time, and Sasuke was watching over her like a hawk. Tsunade felt proud as she watched two people from the up-and-coming generation perform so well in such a high-level battle. As Hokage, it would now be her primary responsibility to make sure that every generation that came after her was cultivated in a way that would allow the village to prosper long after her death. She smiled as she remembered a saying that Sarutobi-sensei used to recite constantly.

' _When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew.'_

 **~End~**

 **I've decided that every once in a while I will post a list with some brief character information. Just remember that the information in this list corresponds to where we are in the story, which is Chapter Nine.**

 **Character Information (As of Right Now):**

 **Name:** Naruto Uzumaki

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Naruto's Dojutsu

 **Occupation:** Serial Killer

 **Brief Character Description:** The twin brother of Mito Uzumaki and the Main Antagonist of this story. Due to unknown occurrences in his childhood, topped off with a year in Orphanage 8, Naruto has become a monster unlike any other. Many of his beliefs run consistent with nihilism, as he does not see any meaning to life. On the surface, Naruto is a thoughtful and kind individual who can use his unmatched charisma to gain the trust of others easily. However, beneath his fake exterior is a person who has little human emotions and no concept of morals. He can easily identify psychopaths, sociopaths, and killers and is equally skilled at convincing them to kill on his behalf. His intellect is unparalleled, and his ability to read people is unmatched by anyone else. His favored method of killing is making his victim experience the worst emotional pain imaginable before they die, preferably by suicide.

* * *

 **Name:** Mito Uzumaki

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Uzumaki Adamantine Chains

 **Occupation:** Konoha Shinobi

 **Brief Character Description:** The twin sister of Naruto and one of the main protagonists of the stories. Unlike her brother, Mito is very kind and compassionate. She has suffered many tragedies in her life but does not let it affect her ability to remain a good person. Her primary goal is to unlock some of her memories, which for the most part, are lost to her.

* * *

 **Name:** Sasuke Uchiha

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Sharingan

 **Occupation:** Konoha Shinobi

 **Brief Character Description:** The lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan Massacre and one of the main protagonists of the stories. Sasuke suffers through constant emotional trauma. He struggles to form bonds with others because he feels as though it is his obligation to his deceased clan and the world to kill Itachi. His closest relationship is with Mito Uzumaki, who he considers to be his first and best friend. He will soon need to decide what is more important, friendship or revenge.

* * *

 **Name:** Kakashi Hatake

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Sharingan

 **Occupation:** Konoha shinobi

 **Brief Character Description:** The sensei of Team 7 and one of the main protagonists of the stories. Kakashi lives his life with the goal of living up to Obito's and the Fourth Hokage's principals. He feels as though it is his obligation to look after his sensei's children and is distraught when Naruto goes missing. He has now made it his goal to solve the mystery of Orphanage 8 and catch the monster who is killing people throughout the Elemental Nations. But how will he react when he discovers that Naruto is that monster?

* * *

 **Name:** Daichi (Real Name Unknown)

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** An Unknown ability that makes him immune to all physical attacks.

 **Occupation:** Naruto Uzumaki's Most Loyal Follower

 **Brief Character Description:** Naruto's most trusted follower and one of the Secondary Antagonists of this story. Daichi has a lazy look: his eyes are half-open, giving him an appearance which looks detached from reality. Unlike Naruto, Daichi isn't above bouts of cruel and sadistic glee. He is easy-going and carefree for the most part, but when he's irritated his aggression shows. Most of the time, however, he is calm and isn't afraid of death in comparison to a normal human.

* * *

 **Name:** Shisui Uchiha

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Sharingan

 **Occupation:** Former Konoha Shinobi

 **Brief Character Description:** After surviving his supposed 'death' Shisui somehow came into contact with a mysterious individual by the name of Hiroshi. For unknown reason's he has made it his mission to oppose Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

 **Name:** Miyako

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Instant Death Aura

 **Occupation:** Servant of Naruto Uzumaki

 **Brief Character Description:** A deranged girl who spent a significant portion of her life in Orphanage 8. She has no recollection of her past and only understands her devotion to Naruto, who she thinks is a god. However, she met her end when she committed suicide to avoid capture during her fight with Mito and Sasuke.


	10. Chapter Ten

**In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity (Erik Erikson).**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Ten**

Sasuke wasn't typically one for celebrations, but he felt like this was a party he wouldn't be allowed to opt out of. He, Mito, Shizune, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had finally recovered after yesterday's battle and were currently at a fun restaurant. Ironically, it was the oldest members of their group who were behaving the worst. Jiraiya and Tsunade challenged one another to a drinking contest and were currently seated in the bar section of the restaurant. Sasuke could only watch in morbid fascination as the two Sannin drank more than he believed to be humanly possible. They were even beginning to draw a crowd of amazed onlookers.

He brought his attention back to the table where he, Mito and Shizune were still currently sitting at. Shizune had her nose in a menu and looked pretty excited to get some food in her stomach. No doubt she needed to replenish her energy after nearly dying yesterday. Watching her mannerisms, he wondered how such a shy and polite woman could handle dealing with Tsunade's shenanigans for multiple decades; he could only assume she was pretty difficult to deal with. As soon as he made that thought, he heard the thunderous sound of Tsunade slamming her now empty sake bottle on the bar table followed by the wild cheers of the fellow patrons. Yep, it was official, the universe just loved proving him right.

"So," Shizune said, interrupting his thoughts and breaking the ice. "How long have you two been genin?"

"Almost a year now," Mito answered with a bright smile. "However, it's felt like we've been at this for decades with all we've been through in this short time."

Sasuke couldn't help but agree with his teammate's statement. He'd like to meet a genin team in history that had been through more than them in their first year. They encountered bloodthirsty pirates, the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, an invasion, and now they played a part in recruiting the 5th Hokage and defeating an S-Rank Shinobi. You honestly couldn't make this stuff up.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Shizune asked with concern. "You don't seem like you're enjoying yourself."

Sasuke was about to respond, but Mito did for him. "Yeah, Sasuke is just a bit too nerdy for this kind of scene," Mito clarified while giving Sasuke a taunting grin. However, she soon leaned towards Shizune and whispered something that was still loud enough for Sasuke to hear. "Honestly, Jiraiya-sensei and I think that he is uncomfortable around women."

Shizune almost spit out her drink and blushed in embarrassment. It was evident that Mito's joke made the prudish medical ninja uncomfortable. Sasuke glared at his teammate in indignation and decided that this would be the moment in which he would get her back.

"Not everyone is as 'comfortable' around women as you are," he said with the classic Uchiha smirk. "Dyke."

He soon regretted it, however, as in her shock at hearing his joke, Shizune spit-taked the tea she was drinking directly into his face. The feeling of the hot beverage soaking his hair and face was soon followed up with the sound of Mito laughing uproariously at him. He looked over at Shizune and noticed that she was covering her mouth and was blushing from head to toe.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun!" she shouted in embarrassment. "I'll go get you a towel."

Before he could tell her that it was alright, she darted towards the kitchen to ask for a cloth. He finally directed his glare towards his teammate, who was grinning at him cheekily. "It must be rough, Sasuke," she said, not sounding at all sympathetic. "This was the first time you ever tried to be funny, and it literally blew up in your face."

"Do you pull your witty quips directly from the divine source of all comedy?" Sasuke asked in an irritated huff. Immediately after, Shizune was back and handed him a cloth as she apologized profusely once again. He was happy to be able to wipe his hair and face before it got sticky from the mess. When he finished, he saw that their food had finally arrived and they all began eating.

He supposed it would be best if he stuck to being the silent type; it was more of his style anyway.

 **~Break~**

"Talk," Ibiki demanded in an emotionally detached voice. In front of him was a man hanging by his hands from the ceiling.

He and Kakashi had managed to capture a man they believed to be associated with the monster they were pursuing. They had yet to find any information regarding the name of the mysterious mastermind of the murders throughout Fire Country, so they decided that to avoid confusion they would just refer to him as 'the monster.'

They took their captive to an abandoned warehouse located in an obscure village located in the southwestern area of the Land of Fire. They bound his hands and then attached the rope to bar on the ceiling so their captive would have to hang uncomfortably from his hand. Kakashi wasn't the expert on interrogation, that honor went to Ibiki; so he decided that he would just spectate for now.

"I-I don't know anything," the man said. Ibiki hadn't inflicted any physical torture on the man, but he didn't need to. Ibiki had such an intimidating aura that it made those with weak wills shatter like glass.

"We know you don't know much, if you did they wouldn't have allowed you to live after using you," Ibiki responded. "However, you may have learned something important without realizing it."

The man was sweating under Ibiki's intense gaze, and his wrists were beginning to get very sore from the bindings. He closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to remember something, anything, that would get him out of this situation. When thinking back on the events that no doubt put him in this position he remembered when he met with a group of mysterious men several days ago. They offered to pay him a substantial amount of money in exchange for information about his neighbor.

He didn't know why anyone would want to know anything about his neighbor, but he wasn't going to turn down easy money. He explained that the man moved next door about two years ago and that he kept entirely to himself. From what he was able to see of the man, he was old, with a bald head and a white beard. After telling the men what they wanted to know, they paid him and left, never to be seen by him again.

He figured that nothing would come out of it, but a few hours ago he was captured by these two Konoha shinobi. It was at that moment that he knew he'd messed up. The men that had paid him must have been dangerous criminals of some sort. He never wanted to get involved with such people. However, who would turn down that much money?

"O-Ok," the hanging man said in an attempt to save himself. "They wanted me to tell them everything I knew about my former neighbor. The man had just moved out a few weeks ago, so I figured I wouldn't be hurting anyone by telling them."

"What did you tell them?" Ibiki demanded.

"I told them what he looked like and what his habits were," the man answered with tears in his eyes. "He was an old man with a bald head and a white beard. He never socialized with anyone in the community and rarely left his house. However, three weeks ago he moved out, leaving most of his stuff in his house. He was definitely in a rush."

Ibiki nodded at the information and then chopped the man in the neck, knocking him unconscious. He turned away from his captive and looked towards Kakashi. It was evident the masked jonin had been playing close attention because he looked like he was racking his brain.

"Looks like we know who their next target is," Ibiki said, and he walked towards his partner. "Whoever this 'old man' is, he'll likely be found dead somewhere soon if we don't do anything about it."

"I feel like I remember someone who matched the description we were just given," Kakashi mumbled to himself, still loud enough for Ibiki to hear. "Elderly man with a bald head and white beard. I definitely know someone like that."

"There are likely many people in this country that fit that description," Ibiki said. "How can you be sure that the individual you're thinking about is the same person they're looking for?"

"Because, I just remembered who it was, and now I'm one hundred percent sure it's the same guy," Kakashi said with clarity. "The man who was the director of Orphanage 8 was an elderly man with a bald head and a white beard. His name was Zaki Takejiro."

Ibiki looked skeptical, "Didn't everyone at Orphanage 8 die?"

Kakashi nodded, "For the most part, yes." he clarified before he continued to explain. "However, we managed to ID all of the bodies, and none of them belonged to Takejiro. He was the only member of the staff that wasn't identified after the tragedy. I always believed that he fled from the village and was taking refuge somewhere else. I think we may have just found out where."

"It makes sense," Ibiki said. "Many of the people who have been killed over the past two years were in some way associated with that mysterious orphanage. The former head of the Fire Countries Ministry of Health, Mura Ichiyo was killed by pirates as he attempted to flee the country. It was you who discovered that Orphanage 8 was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. That connects Mura-san to the facility." Ibiki explained before continuing, "The Beautiful Minds research group studied the behavior of the Orphanage's occupants roughly thirty years ago, and now they are all dead."

"And now the former director of the facility is being hunted," Kakashi said, finishing his partner's thought. "It would only make sense to assume that the person ordering these murders also has a connection to Orphanage 8."

Ibiki hummed but didn't respond. This was all beginning to make a lot more sense. Now that they finally managed to discover a connection between all of the murders, it would be much easier to find out the identity of the one responsible. The best way for them to do that would be to find Takejiro before he too was murdered. No doubt he would possess valuable information.

One could only hope so.

 **~Break~**

The entire town was a bustling bastion of joy. Mito and Sasuke had left their three adult companions so they could enjoy the festival. Well, Mito wanted to go, and she forced Sasuke to come with her. The Uchiha survivor had no idea why Tanzuka-gai was throwing a festival, but he honestly didn't care enough to ask. He had spent the last thirty minutes being forced to play childish games as if he were some kind of little kid. However, Mito was having a lot of fun so he couldn't bring himself to put a stop to it.

He absentmindedly wondered how Mito was able to fit so much food inside her tiny body. Sasuke could seriously make the argument that Mito had purchased at least one snack from every stand in the large town. It was almost as if she were some kind of insatiable black hole. Perhaps this was why she had so much chakra? Maybe he should start eating more.

The two thirteen-year-olds finally got to the point where they had taken part in every activity the festival had to offer. Sasuke almost cried in joy as he realized that he could finally get some sleep. How was it that Mito had so much energy? The last Uchiha decided that once they returned to Konoha, he'd submit her for testing, to make sure she wasn't some kind of strange alien.

"Sooo, Sasuke," Mito sang with a cheeky grin. "Are you missing your Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke looked at her like she had grown a second head, "My what?" he asked.

"Oh, you think I don't notice the way she acts around you," Mito clarified, before mimicking Sakura's voice. " _Sasuke-kun, please be careful, I worry about you,"_ she said in a poor imitation of their pink haired teammate. "It's like you two are married already."

"Do you ever shut up?" Sasuke asked in his usual irritated voice. He wouldn't be shocked if Mito Uzumaki would be the death of him. She'd probably give him a brain aneurysm by the time he was twenty.

"Alright, alright, enough is enough," Mito said, having mercy on the poor boy. "But what are you going to do about her? Sakura is a good person, and she deserves to know whether or not you're ever going to return her feelings."

Sasuke gave Mito a deadpan stare as they continued walking, "Are we seriously talking about this right now?" he asked, in a voice stricken with annoyed disbelief.

"What? Sakura is a cute girl. You need to make an honest woman out of her before someone else does. I heard Rock Lee has the hots for her so your time may be running out." Mito warned in a voice that she tried to make sound serious, but failed miserably.

"This isn't happening," Sasuke groaned to himself while closing his eyes. Perhaps he thought if he pretended that this wasn't really happening, he'd find out that it actually wasn't. It was wishful thinking, but when someone was suffering as much as he was at the moment, all they could do is wish.

"There's always the possibility that I could snatch her from you too," Mito teased, enjoying his misery. "She's not quite my type, but I can make do."

"You're disgusting," Sasuke growled. Not that he had anything against Mito being into women, but it didn't mean he wanted to hear about it. Mito didn't seem upset by his statement and simply laughed. God, she was insufferable; she knew how to push his buttons better than anyone else.

Without even thinking about it, they had walked into a portion of the town that was almost entirely deserted. It was the residential area, and nobody was home since they were all at the festival. It actually made for a rather disturbing sight. The streets were empty, and it was dark out, like in a horror movie. Sasuke half expected a tumble weed to bounce across the road in front of them.

Sasuke was about to tell Mito that they should head back when he noticed movement from within the alley. He placed his arm in front of his teammate to prevent her from moving any further towards the possible threat. She looked at him and rolled her eyes, "Jeez, Sasuke," she said. "You're going to get gray hair with all the worrying you do."

"Be ready, we're being watched," he warned. Mito was perceptive enough to notice the seriousness of his tone and dropped her previous silliness. The last Uchiha's paranoia proved correct when a large figure exited the alley way and walked towards them until he was a few feet away. The man was very tall, with a bandaged sword on his back that was almost the same length as his body. He had strange blue skin, gill-like marks on his cheeks, and small beady eyes, similar to that of a sharks. He placed his hand on the hilt of his enormous blade and gave them a smile, showing his pointed teeth.

"Well, would you look at my luck," he said in a voice laced with bloodthirsty undertones. "I didn't play any of the festival games, and yet, I've still managed to get my prize."

The man was looking directly at Mito when he made his comment, so Sasuke knew the 'prize' was her. If the situation were less dire he would have shaken his head at how often weirdos took a strange interest in his redheaded teammate; it was like she was a magnet for trouble. It didn't help that whenever those weirdos came her way, he had to help deal with them. At this point, he felt as though he should be getting paid for his trouble.

The man flared his chakra and the two Konoha genin instantly tensed. Whoever this guy was, he had enormous reserves of chakra; and unlike Mito, he probably had many years of experience controlling his. This guy was more dangerous than Miyako, and they were lucky to have beaten her as easily as they did.

"Stop it, Kisame," a voice Sasuke found familiar droned from behind them. "You'll attract attention."

The world seemed to slow down, and everything began to matter less and less to Sasuke as he turned to look at the second intruder. As soon as he saw the two Sharingan eyes gleaming in the dark, he realized that it was exactly who he thought it was. His body tensed and his Sharingan blazed to life, adding to his rage filled expression. Itachi Uchiha, the man he had long ago vowed to kill, was standing before him.

"It's been a long time, Sasuke."

 **~Break~**

They had been traveling for several days and only recently made it out of the deserts of their own country. They were commanded by the Council of Suna to bring a message to Konoha. The message consisted of an apology and an explanation for their actions during the Chunin Exams. Hopefully, the next Hokage would understand and realize that they'd be wasting their time fighting against each other. The real threat was the individual who manipulated the events of the Invasion of Konoha in the first place, Orochimaru. The man killed their Kazekage and then murdered Konoha's Hokage. He was the common enemy, and they should work together to defeat him.

Temari was glad that her village was willing to put an end to any future conflict. She knew that the main reason for their decisions was because, in their current state, Suna stood no chance against Konoha in an all out war. There was also the fact that for many years before the events of the Exams, Konoha and Suna were loyal allies. She hoped that the actions of that snake bastard wouldn't put an end to that mutually beneficial friendship. Nobody in Suna had been comfortable with the idea of an invasion, but they had to follow the orders of their Kazekage. Imagine how they all felt when they discovered that their leader had been murdered and was being impersonated the entire time. Temari knew her father wasn't the greatest man ever, but he wasn't a war monger; he never would have broken the treaty between Suna and Konoha, and that was probably why he was killed.

"Let's stop here and camp for the evening," Temari's sensei, Baki, said. The envoy group was small and consisted of her, her sensei, and a couple of chunin. She was told to go along because of her pedigree due to her lineage; there was also the fact that she was the most diplomatic of the three sand siblings. She figured that sending the daughter of their village's former leader would be seen as an act of goodwill. It made sense, so she didn't argue.

"Temari," Baki ordered once more, getting her attention. "Go to the nearby river and collect water."

She nodded and gathered everyone's canteens before going on her way. Honestly, she was happy about the opportunity for solitude. There was little time for her to mourn the death of her father since his tragic demise. He wasn't perfect, but he was her flesh and blood, and she loved him. A part of her resented him for what he did to Gaara, but he was still her father. Speaking of Gaara, he had been acting very strange lately; strange in the sense that he hadn't tried to kill anyone. It seemed that whatever Mito Uzumaki said to him after their fight must have impacted him a lot. If she saw the red-haired girl when they reached Konoha, she'd have to thank her.

She finally made it to the riverbank and couldn't help but noticed the way the moon reflected on the water. She filled the canteens but was in no rush to leave as she stayed crouched before the water and stared at her reflection. When observing her visage, she couldn't help but be reminded of her later mother. She closed her eyes in sadness and felt the bombardment of all the negative emotions that she had been fighting off for the last few months.

She stood up and started walking down the river while counting the stars that were above her. No matter how chaotic and ever changing her life was, the stars would always be in the sky, every evening. It didn't do much in regards to making her feel any better, but it was a start.

She was surprised when she noticed that she wasn't alone in the area. The speed in which she jumped into the nearby brush was pretty impressive, and she was revealed to discover that the other individual hadn't noticed her. He was young, probably around her brother's age, with blonde hair and beautiful pale skin. However, what caught her attention the most was that he was waist deep in the water cleaning himself. She wasn't able to see his lower body, but she could only assume that he was completely naked. This made he blush because while she was a hardened shinobi, she was still a growing girl. And the age difference didn't really matter when the boy was so beautiful.

He turned his body around, and she was able to see his face. She didn't think it was possible, but she blushed even more. It wasn't that he had an extremely cut build or anything; in fact, he was actually skinny and lean. However, his face was angelic and unlike anything she had ever seen before. He was so beautiful that he'd probably be mistaken for a woman if his hair was any longer. He could only be described as being inhumanly beautiful, as the moonlight shined directly on him.

"Why don't you join me?" he asked in a voice that was as elegant as his appearance. He didn't open his eyes as he addressed her and continued scrubbing his right shoulder.

Her first instinct was to flee, but she didn't want him to think she was some strange pervert, so she exited the brush and walked forward until she was standing at the edge of the riverbank. For once, she was too nervous to say anything, so she stayed silent.

"It's a beautiful evening," he said with a gentle smile. He opened his eyes to reveal the most beautiful cerulean orbs she had ever seen. "Are you enjoying it?"

"Y-Yes," she answered, cursing her nervousness as she stammered. She quickly removed her sandals and sat at the edge of the river and placed her feet in the water. Hopefully, this would help her to relax and stop making a fool of herself.

He turned back around, so he was no longer facing her and continued with his business. "What is troubling you?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Temari didn't know why, but she felt like she could vent a little bit to this person. She spent the next several minutes explaining how both her parent were dead, and how her brother had suffered immensely as a child, and the guilt she felt for not doing anything about it. Then she explained the sadness she felt at being unable to make any friends in her village due to her lineage. Only when she finished did she realize that she revealed so much to this stranger. He hadn't spoken at all during her mini-rant and just continued softly scrubbing himself. She thought that he was ignoring her before he finally spoke.

"It must be difficult for you," he said, turning over his shoulder and giving her a polite smile. "Clearly you have quite an immense amount of responsibility placed on your shoulders. You put so much effort into appearing unassailable in order to not worry those around you."

She was surprised by his comment, "How are you able to tell?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Your eyes," he explained. "People spend their entire lives crafting and projecting the image that they want people to see. However, you can see the true nature of a person when looking into their eyes."

Temari found herself plunged into even deeper thought after his words. Now that she thought about it, she supposed what he was saying was true. All her life she had been forced to look after herself while also taking care of her brothers. With all that going on, she couldn't afford to ever look weak or sad. Frankly, she was a little unnerved about how quickly this boy had just read her like a book. Was her facade of constant toughness obvious or was the angelic blonde in front of her just very perceptive?

"What brings you to the Land of Fire?" he asked her, keeping the conversation going.

She figured that there would be no adverse consequences in telling him, so she did, "We're on our way to Konohagakure no Sato. Hopefully, we'll be able to settle all that mess from the Chunin Exams."

Temari looked back up and was surprised to see that the blonde had disappeared. It was as if he had never been there in the first place; there weren't even any ripples in the water. She put her forehead in her hand and sighed heavily. How often would she be able to meet a caring and beautiful person like that? She had a feeling she'd regret not asking for his name for the rest of her life. He'd be the one that got away.

Naruto smiled to himself as he was standing deeper in the forest. It seemed that he and the Suna kunoichi were both going to the same place. However, he was confident that his reason for going to Konoha would be considered far less noble. Regardless, for the first time in years, he felt something stirring deep inside of him. Perhaps it was excitement? Because after all, he'd be meeting with his sister very soon.

He'd be giving her a great gift; the only gift a monster like him was capable of giving.

 **~Break~**

He had never felt so weak in his entire life; not even the night of the Uchiha Massacre compared. At least then he was a young child who couldn't be expected to do much. However, now he had grown and matured as a person and a shinobi, and Itachi was still leagues ahead of him.

He was on his knees, gripping his wrist in extreme pain. He had attempted to kill his brother with the Chidori. However, it was easily blocked; and it got him a snapped wrist for his trouble. He didn't know how Mito was doing, but for once, he couldn't bring himself to care. All his attention was concentrated on the focus of all of his hatred.

Itachi didn't seem at all intimated by his gaze. In fact, it looked like his brother was looking at him like he was some kind of insect. Even in the Forest of Death when fighting Orochimaru, he didn't feel this hopeless. He had trained under Kakashi of the Sharingan and even a little bit under Jiraiya of the Sannin, and he was still outclassed. Itachi had never trained under such prestigious teachers.

"You're weak, Sasuke," Itachi stated plainly as if he were describing the weather.

Sasuke yelled in rage and rose to strike his brother in the face. However, he soon felt the wind knocked out of him as brother's fist was slammed into his gut. He couldn't see Itachi move, even with his Sharingan activated. Before he could attempt another attack, Itachi grabbed him by his neck and slammed him into a nearby building.

As Sasuke was being pressed into the wall, he was able to look in Mito's direction. The girl seemed terrified that her friend would be hurt. Thankfully, Jiraiya had arrived in time to prevent anything from happening to her. That was good, Sasuke was happy about that at least.

Itachi noticed how his focus had shifted to Mito and spoke, "Perhaps if you weren't so worried about her you'd be a little less pathetic." he criticized tonelessly, "I told you to bask in hatred, and yet, it looks like you focused more on playing with friends."

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock at his brother's words. Was Itachi right? Did he lack in ability because he focused too much on friendship? Sasuke immediately banished those thoughts from his mind, he wouldn't allow himself to be led along by his brother anymore.

"Perhaps you need a reminder," Itachi drawled, adding more pressure to the hold on his brother's neck. His eyes shifted into the Mangekyo, and he gazed into Sasuke's less mature Sharingan eyes.

 _Sasuke was transferred to a place that he remembered very well. This was the genjutsu Itachi had tortured him with all those years ago. He looked down at himself and saw that he was in his seven-year-old body. His gaze was forced back up with he saw his now deceased family walking through the Uchiha District; walking around him as if they couldn't see him. He tried to warn them, but his cries fell on deaf ears._

 _Shuriken were launched into his aunt and uncle, and they were left as heaps on the ground. He continued to watch as Itachi proceeded to annihilate any and all Uchiha that attempted to stop him. Sasuke could only scream, the same way he cried all those years ago._

 _Before he could even blink, he was now standing in his old family home. He looked down and saw Itachi standing over his kneeling parents with a katana in hand._

" _Mother! Father!" Sasuke shouted, already knowing what was going to happen._

 _Itachi swung the blade and cut into his parents as if they were livestock. Sasuke could only watch in silent horror as his parents bled to death on the floor._

" _Why are you so weak? Why aren't you helping us?"_

 _He was shocked when his mother's corpse began speaking to him. She unnaturally twisted her neck and looked directly into his eyes. She was crying tears of pain and sadness, but to his horror, her eyes turned red, and the tears turned to streams of blood._

 _"You're no man," she growled in anger. Before she could continue the scene changed once again, and he was back where he began. He was forced to watch Itachi murder their entire clan and then his parents over and over and over and over; it was driving him mad. Each time his dead parents would make separate insulting comment to him; usually about how weak and pathetic he was._

 _Just when he thought it would never end, he was brought to the Uchiha training grounds. He was shocked when he saw Naruto Uzumaki appear in front of him. He immediately remembered this as the time the Uzumaki boy had randomly spoken to him seven years ago. The blonde boy opened his mouth and some of the things he said in the past echoed through Sasuke's head._

" _Is it not better to be prepared for the worst? If you are always prepared for the worst, you'll never be disappointed, and you can only ever be pleasantly surprised."_

 _"I can feel it flowing off of you. The immense desire to succeed, and the equally immense fear of failure. Why exist to meet the standards of others? Why not exist simply for yourself?"_

 _"I hope that those people you care about never disappoint you, because then what would you have, other than yourself and a bunch of empty dreams?"_

 _These were all things Naruto said during their first meeting. Now that he had experienced the painful betrayal of his brother, these words had a deeper meaning to him. If he had never put so much faith in Itachi, would he have been so heartbroken at his brother's betrayal? His thoughts then shifted to what Naruto said last; the most impactful of the three statements._

 _He had been disappointed by a person that he loved, and he was then left alone with a bunch of empty dreams. It was as if Mito's brother could see the future. However, he was soon shocked when Mito appeared, standing between him and Naruto._

 _She gave him that smile he loved so much, and he feared what would happen to her. She didn't seem to notice that her brother was behind her and gave Sasuke a friendly wave. Shockingly, Naruto's arms wrapped around the girl and he began dragging her towards his mouth, which had widened into an inhuman gaping maw. Sasuke watched in shocked silence as Mito was consumed by her brother in one bite._

 _Naruto's arms then stretched out, and he proceeded to devour everything in sight. Nothing seemed to escape the blonde boy's insatiable hunger. Eventually, he and Sasuke were left alone, floating in a vacuum of nothingness. Naruto had consumed everything in existence._

 _The blonde boy smiled at Sasuke as if nothing had happened and said, "Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large._ _"_

Before he could be tormented any further, his eyes fluttered open, and he was back in reality. He immediately heard an agonized scream and quickly realized that it was his. He had spent what felt like days in that hell hole his brother created just for him. However, what stuck with him the most, was the last vision.

Unlike the other things his brother had shown him, the vision of Naruto only appeared once, and it was the very last thing he saw. Once he was able to think with a bit more clarity, he recognized the words Naruto said right before he woke up. 'Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large.' he thought to himself.

Kakashi had told him about the mysterious murders of the ANBU that were guarding him while he was incapacitated in the Tower of the Forest of Death. Apparently, while Sasuke was unconscious someone killed the guards, posed their bodies, and wrote something on the wall with their blood. The very phrase Naruto uttered was what the killer had written on the wall.

'Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large.' Sasuke thought to himself one last time. Was Itachi trying to tell him that Naruto was responsible for the murders? Regardless, the message was clear; Naruto was dangerous.

He felt his vision becoming spotty and realized that he was falling asleep. The mental exhaustion caused by his torture likely resulted in his brain feeling as though it needed to shut off his consciousness; for his own safety. The last thing he saw before fading into darkness was his brother and the shark-like man fleeing from Jiraiya and Tsunade.

The last thing he felt was utter self-loathing.

 **~Break~**

Their search had brought them all the way to the Land of Rivers. Through the use of reliable sources of information, they were able to track the movements of their target, Zaki Takejiro. It helped that Kakashi was able to follow the man's scent. He had Pakkun sniff a piece of Takejiro's clothing before they left. After the small dog was able to find the trail, they were off. Kakashi just hoped they got there before the enemy did.

Kakashi and Ibiki were both elite-jonin, so they were able to maintain a blistering pace for an extended period of time. However, they needed to be very careful since they were no longer in the Land of Fire. The rights that they possessed in the Fire Country did not apply in the Land of Rivers. If they were accused of a crime, they would not be granted a trial and would face imprisonment or death.

The fear of death was the last thing on Kakashi's mind. He felt his skin tingle in anticipation; he was closer than ever to finding the truth. All those years ago, when he learned that his father had died while investigating the same conspiracy, he decided to make this his life mission. To know that such an evil had toiled within Fire Country and Konoha for so long, likely right under Hokage-sama's nose, lit a flame in him. Finally, when realizing that his sensei's son, Naruto, had suffered due to these evil men, it was the final straw. He would put an end to this, even if it were the last thing he ever did.

"He's here," Pakkun said as they stopped in front of a small, almost desolate village. Their travel speed shifted to a slow walk as they followed Kakashi's personal summon to their target. The miniature pug had his nose towards the ground as they moved forward. However, his head suddenly snapped up, and he looked towards Kakashi. "His scent is mixed with blood."

Two Konoha jonin looked to one another and sprinted towards their destination. They soon found what they were looking for in the form of a large, tattered, barn. They both armed themselves with kunai and prepared to breach the door. Kakashi swung the door open, and the two elite-jonin darted through the doorway, prepared for anything. However, there was nobody inside to attempt to attack them; there was only a bloodied man tied to a chair.

"He's still alive," Pakkun alerted. "I can hear his heartbeat."

Kakashi thanked his dog-summon, and the animal dispelled. He and Ibiki approached the man with caution, not knowing if he was pretending to be asleep. Ibiki was able to notice through his expertise of torture that this man had, in fact, been interrogated. He also perfectly fit the description of the man they were looking for. Kakashi placed his hand on the elderly man's shoulder and jolted him awake with chakra.

"W-What?!" Takejiro said as he was forced back into conciseness. "I told you everything you-" however, a surprised look graced his face as he saw that there were two Konoha shinobi standing before him. "Who are you? Are you here to help me?"

"That depends," Ibiki answered, not seeming sympathetic to the man before him. "Are you Zaki Takejiro, former Director of Orphanage 8?"

Zaki lowered his head in resigned sadness, as if he accepted his fate, "Yes, that is me. I suppose you're here to kill me?"

"That also depends," Kakashi said in a laid back tone. "We have some questions to ask you; and while were above torture, we aren't above executing you for violating the rights of innocent children."

"What do you want to know?" Takejiro said, sounding oddly unafraid.

"We'd like to know," Kakashi said, pausing in the middle of his sentence. "The identity of the monster. I'm sure you know who we're referring to."

The man chuckled mirthlessly as if he were expecting that question, "Know who you're referring to?" Takejiro asked sarcastically. "Who do you think I've been running from all this time? Who do you think is responsible for me being tied to this chair?"

"He put you here?" Ibiki asked, tensing at the idea that the person they'd been hunting for was in the area.

"No," Takejiro clarified, much to the two jonin's disappointment. "But the person who did works for him."

"Who is he? Who is the monster?" Kakashi practically demanded. Today would be the day he'd learn the truth.

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki."

Everything froze for Kakashi as he finally heard the answer he had been traversing Fire Country for. Sadly, it wasn't nearly close to being the answer to he wanted. Minato-sensei's son? That was impossible, it must be a lie. However, when he looked into Takejiro's eyes, he knew that it was the truth. Through his years of experience, he had become skilled at reading people, and he could tell that it was not a lie. Such a stunning revelation left him feeling sick.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" Ibiki asked, oblivious to Kakashi's internal suffering. "Wouldn't he only be thirteen-years-old at the moment?"

Takejiro laughed once more before, "Setting him to the standards of ordinary human beings is pointless. That child was destined for greatness the moment he was conceived. Never before has a child been born with a greater intellect. Not to mention he's the type of prodigy that appears once in a millennium. Ordinary people like you and me have no hope of understanding him."

Takejiro continued after letting his earlier statement sink in, "The kid toppled my facility without even lifting a finger. He built on the hatred of the other child occupants and played on their paranoia and fear. He released a fear mongering story that put them on edge, and they all slaughtered each other, and he sat at the top of the main stairway and watched. He gazed upon the suffering of others and felt content."

"It's because of you and your sick experiments!" Kakashi snapped. "If you hadn't messed with his mind, he'd be a healthy boy, and a lot of people would still be alive!"

"My experiments?" Takejiro asked with a short bark of laughter. "No, I could never hope of creating a masterpiece as perfect as him. He was a monster before I ever met him; a monster from the very beginning." The look in Takejiro's eyes did well to show just how far gone the man was psychologically, "And you speak of the prevention of death? You act like that boy is the only person in this world that kills. If I'm not mistaken, your profession centers around murder; you spend your entire lives learning how to kill. Animals kill one another for survival and food; however, murder is a human concept, it existed long before Naruto Uzumaki, and it will exist long after. Well, if he leaves anything standing, that is."

"Do you know what he said to me once?" Takejiro asked before Kakashi could retort. "He said that hatred is born when people come together and that humanity is destined to destroy itself. He want's to be the last person standing at the end of the world."

Kakashi was left in a stunned silence. He thought that when he discovered the identity of the killer, he'd spitting out question after question. But now, he almost wished he had never learned the truth.

"It's a shame," Takejiro continued with a disappointed shake of his head. "To let such a perfect being slip from my-"

Before he could finish his statement, a literal shadow rose from the ground and impaled him through the chest. Ibiki and Kakashi were on guard when they recognized the jutsu. 'A Nara?' Kakashi thought to himself, confused.

Ibiki saw a blank white mask mixed with the shadows of the top corner of the barn and launched a handful of kunai in that direction. A figure cloaked in black darted out of the way and landed on the floor in front of the entrance. The figure was cloaked from head to toe, so there was no hope in attempting to identify him. The shadowy man tilted his head, like a curious animal, and many more shadows rose from ground, all coiled in preparation to pierce that two Konoha jonin.

"Those are definitely Nara Clan techniques," Ibiki observed. "However, there aren't any Nara's listed in the Bingo Book as missing-nin."

Soon after his comment, Ibiki was forced to jump back as a giant claw-like hand formed from shadow attempted to eviscerate him. When he landed on the ground a few feet behind him, he heard a loud 'click' noise. He looked down, but before he could do anything, he was caught in an explosion.

Kakashi glanced at the blast and then drew a handful of shuriken from his pouch and threw them at his opponent with practiced efficiency. They were thrown in a way that would attack the mysterious Nara from multiple angles; only those extremely skilled in shurikenjutsu were able to make such a throw.

Before the shuriken could strike, thin shadow tendrils caught them mid-air. In a move Kakashi should've predicted ahead of time, the tendrils sent the shuriken back to their sender. Kakashi was forced to twist his body to dodge the spinning blades of death, but when he landed, he found he couldn't move. He soon saw that his shadow was connected to that of his enemies.

The creepy masked shinobi only stared silently at the man he had captured. However, much to Kakashi's surprise, dozens upon dozens of paper bombs revealed themselves to be coating the walls of the barn. So, Takejiro being so easy to find was a trap? Figures.

"He wants you dead, Kakashi-san," the masked man said, his voice sounded more like that of a ghost's.

The paper bombs began to burn, and Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his opponent, who didn't seem to be in a rush to escape. "You intend for us both to die here?" he asked casually as if he wasn't afraid of his predicament.

"I am simply one of many, and therefore, am disposable," the shadow user responded. "However, you are one of the only two people investigating matters that don't concern you. The need for you to die is paramount, and I shall do so by any means necessary."

The tags were nearly completely burned and the moment of his death seemed imminent. However, before Kakashi could gather what would probably be his last thoughts, he felt two hands rise from the ground and grab hold of his ankles. He was quickly dragged under the earth, and he felt the tremors created by the explosion above.

When he was pulled back out of the ground, he was a few hundred feet away from the now destroyed barn. He looked towards the person who rescued him and was pleasantly surprised. Apparently, Ibiki managed to survive his brush with death as well. The man had some slight burn marks on his clothes, but other than that he was fine. The two men looked back towards the barn, and Kakashi wondered if their assailant had died in the blast.

"He escaped," Ibiki said as if he could read Kakashi's mind. Considering how skilled Ibiki was at reading people, he wouldn't be surprised if the man could. "When he realized that I had saved you I guess he decided that staying in the blast radius would be pointless." Ibiki noted, "He is very evasive, it wouldn't shock me if he specializes in stealth and assassination."

"I would have died, Ibiki," Kakashi commented, off topic." But you saved my life, I appreciate it."

"You're the one who's going to catch this mastermind killer," Ibiki said. "The same man that killed Anko; and I intend for you and me to survive until we see it through."

"That 'mastermind killer' has a name," Kakashi corrected, downtrodden by the news. "As awful as it is to accept, we can't ignore this new information."

"I'm beginning to notice a trend of young prodigies turning out to be psychotic killers," Ibiki said, obviously alluding to Itachi Uchiha, and now, Naruto Uzumaki.

Kakashi was too depressed at the news to laugh at the admittedly funny comment. Had he been more perky enough, he'd of definitely been a little concerned about Ibiki making a joke; the guy was typically a brick wall. He began examining his body and noticed quite a few deep gash marks. He supposed that was to be expected when one gets dragged hundreds of feet through the hard earth. However, cuts were definitely better than being killed in an explosion, so he wasn't complaining. He'd need to clean his wounds so they wouldn't get infected, and some rest would be good too.

It seemed like it'd be a few days before they returned to Konoha.

 **~End~**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live (Norman Cousins).**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Eleven**

The 5th Hokage and her companions had returned to Konoha two days ago. There was a crowd of uproarious onlookers greeting them at the gates. However, Mito was more focused on getting her teammate to the hospital. Sasuke had suffered extreme injuries to his psyche after being tortured in a genjutsu by Itachi Uchiha. Mito had always known they were brothers and figured that he was the person Sasuke was always training to kill.

Since the two days had passed, Sasuke was still lying in a hospital bed. Tsunade had refused to allow him to leave, saying that he needed to recuperate. To Sasuke, it was an immense waste of his time. He realized now more than ever, that if he was going to gain the power needed to kill Itachi, sitting around was harmful. He had refused any visitors, as he was far too agitated. It didn't help that sleep was evading him more than ever.

He was staring at the white ceiling and was interrupted from his melancholy by a knocking on the door. He didn't turn to see who it was, considering he already knew. The tentative way in which the guest knocked made it obvious enough. He heard the person open the door and sit down next to his hospital bed, but the room remained engulfed in an awkward silence. At least when he was alone, Sasuke didn't need to suffer in this way.

"Do you need something?" he asked curtly. He needed to find a way to return to solitude. Hopefully, his typical method, which was being rude, would work.

"I just came to see how you were doing," Sakura answered with a downtrodden smile. Ever since Sasuke returned from retrieving the 5th Hokage, any progress he made in becoming a sociable person went down the toilet.

"Well, you saw me," Sasuke snapped before turning back towards the window.

Sakura flinched and looked towards the ground. It was kind of interesting, the way Sasuke was able to make her feel. On one had nobody was able to make her feel more happy and safe. However, on the other, nobody was more capable of intimidating her. He could be so standoffish at times, and there was also the issue of his inability to relax. The only person he ever let his guard down around was Mito. At first, Sakura resented the redhead for that fact; however, she couldn't bring herself to keep despising such an amazing person.

"I care for you, Sasuke-kun," she said in a hope to appease the agitated Uchiha. "I know the feeling may not be mutual, but you are my friend."

Sasuke stared at her intensely for what felt like an eternity. When he finally spoke, it wasn't what she'd expected, "You could never understand." he said. "The pain of losing everything that you ever loved," the glare he gave her was one of the most chilling things she'd ever seen. "And then the pain of confronting the one who took it all from you, and being utterly outclassed."

Sasuke finally looked away and started clenching the bed sheets. His eyes were tightly shut as if opening them would result in something terrible. All the fear Sakura had felt immediately faded away, and all she could feel was sadness. She was sad that the boy she loved had experienced such pain. And she was sad about how right he was about her. Not that she was upset that she had an easy life, however, she would never be able to relate to him. Not in the way that Mito could.

With great apprehension, she placed her hand over his. For a while, nothing happened, but soon he stopped squeezing the sheets so tightly. He still didn't open his eyes, but his face was no longer twisted in misery. However, the thing that stuck him the most was the barely noticeable tears flowing down his cheeks. She didn't dare say anything, or else she'd ruin the moment. But there was one thing that made her tear up as well; with tears of joy.

He didn't make any move to remove her hand from his own.

 **~Break~**

This was beginning to get eerie. Every day, Shiro Akihiro checked the doorstep of his home, and the same creepy letter would be there every time. If he weren't so excited that his little girl had returned home, the issue would probably be number one on his priority list. However, seeing Mito's cheery face made it impossible to think about anything else. Besides, it was all probably the work of some kid playing a prank.

As her father placed the letter in his desk drawer as Mito made her presence known. She coughed loudly and laughed when her goofy father literally jumped. He turned and gave her a smile only a father seeing their child could hope to replicate. Their tenure as father and daughter may not have been that long; only three years. However, they were some of the best three years of both of their lives.

"Come on, my princess," Shiro bellowed dramatically. "Let's go get some lunch!"

Mito cheered with a level of enthusiasm that would be considered very cute. She enjoyed these easy times with her family, and in particular, her father. She loved action, she loved Team 7, and she loved missions, but it was only with her father that she was truly able to escape the pain of her past. He was quite the jolly giant, and he always knew just how to make her smile.

Long before the Akihiro's adopted Mito, they had lost the opportunity to raise a child of their own due to complications. During the birth of what would have been their first child, the infant came into this world as a corpse. And to had salt to the wound, the botched birth resulted in her mother Eto, being unable to conceive in the future. All they wanted to do was start a family of their own, and yet it was as though they were cursed never to achieve their goal.

In the wake of both their tragedies, Mito and the Akihiro couple were united and became a family. It was not a direct, seamless fit, however, gradually they began to love one another as a family. Mito loved both of her parents equally, but it was evident to anyone who knew them that she and her father shared a special bond.

They finally arrived at their destination, which was revealed to be a quaint little place not too far from their home. They took their seats and put in their orders. After the waitress had left, Shiro decided to speak, "So," he said in a happy tone. "My daughter helped recruit the 5th Hokage? Could there possibly be a more proud father in this world?"

Mito smiled and bashfully began rubbing the back of her head. There was only one person in the world whose praise was able to make her feel this way. It only demonstrated just how great of a man Shiro was since he was able to become so important to his daughter in such a short time. Mito's smile soon took a sad undertone, "I'm sure Naruto would have made you proud too, dad."

Shiro's expression became momentarily downcast at the quick change in mood. He had never met his daughter's brother, but from what he had heard, the boy was critical to her life. Every day he was grateful to the blonde boy that help Mito become who she was today. He had little doubt he would have been proud to be the boy's father.

The food arrived, and the negative atmosphere immediately vanished. Mito and Shiro were both black holes in the way that they consumed food. It was strange how two people could be so similar without sharing the same genetics. In fact, many people are surprised to discover that Mito and her father are not related. However, their bond was stronger than any blood ties.

Mito spent the duration of the meal narrating her adventures; however, she intentionally left out the parts in which she either almost died or witnessed death. It was complicated to do, considering just how violent some of her missions had become. However, even through it all, she had never allowed herself to be taken to that dark place. Thankfully, she could say with pride that she had yet to ever take a human life. To Mito, all human life was equal and that it shouldn't be taken unless one was saving an innocent life.

"Have you been having the dreams?" her father asked, with a bit of nervousness creeping into his tone. Mito's dreams were always a tricky subject. When he and Eto initially inquired about the subject, they were immediately shut down. However, over time their daughter became more and more comfortable around them, to the point that she would openly admit to when she had a nightmare. She still wouldn't go into too much detail about the contents of the dreams, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Nope!" the redhead chirped in between bites of food. "I haven't had one in a while. I think I'm finally beginning to come to terms with my past."

Shiro smiled at the good news, and the two finished their meal. Hokage-sama had warned them that if they were to adopt Mito, they would need to assist her through trauma. The young girl grew up with almost nothing, and then everything she had was taken from her in a single day. He would say that it wasn't fair, but that was often the case with the world they lived in. Complaining about it wouldn't solve anybody's problems, only pushing forward towards a better day would.

As they two finished their meals, they said goodbye and both went their separate ways. Apparently, his daughter and her friend Sakura would be meeting with the rest of their graduating class for dinner at a barbecue. He was glad that his daughter had made so many friends, in spite of all her suffering. Shiro didn't dislike Sasuke Uchiha, but he couldn't help but feel relieved that his daughter didn't end of like him; bitter at the world.

He approached his home, and on his doorstep, he saw another unmarked letter. At this point, he would have preferred a flaming bag of dog poop on his doorstep over this. Frankly, the letters were creepy, and the idea that the person who wrote them was constantly on their property was even more so. Despite his fears, he picked up the letter and made his way into the kitchen. He opened the envelope and read its contents. He was irritated to discover that it was, in fact, the same message as all the other times. He brought the letter to his office and opened a drawer in his desk, revealing it to be filled with the dozens of other letters he had received from the mysterious stranger. He added the new one to the collection and slammed the drawer shut. He and his wife decided not to throw the letters away since keeping them would be for the best if they ever decided to report the issue to the authorities.

As Shiro made his way towards the living room, he pondered the message he had regularly been receiving over the past week. It was the same bizarre sentence written in the same creepy hand writing. 'Look at me. Look at me. The monster inside of me has grown this large,' he recited in his mind.

What on earth could that mean?

 **~Break~**

When Sasuke heard a tapping on his hospital window in the dead of night, he expected to see Mito's goofy face looking back at him. However, what he didn't expect was to see a ghost. Well, not in the literal sense, but it had been so long since Naruto Uzumaki had last been seen in the village that most assumed him to be dead. He may as well have been a ghost, considering how unnoticeable his presence was.

After politely knocking, the Uzumaki boy slid the window open and slinked into the room. Sasuke was in too much shock to formulate words. Naruto felt different than he did in the past; he couldn't quite describe it, but for a moment that this was some kind of sick nightmare. While the last loyal Uchiha realized that the events in Itachi's Tsukuyomi were completely fabricated, he couldn't ignore the tingling in his spine at seeing the subject of his previous fear standing before him.

"It has been a while since we last spoke, Sasuke-san," the blond Uzumaki greeted politely while taking a seat. Sasuke's well-tempered instincts were screaming at him that he was in danger. He still hadn't fully recovered from his brother's genjutsu, and his chakra was depleted. "Itachi-san is much stronger than you anticipated, am I correct?"

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke demanded. "Shouldn't you be telling Mito that you're alright?" He was very irritated with Naruto. It seemed as though the blonde Uzumaki was completely safe and healthy, yet he hadn't visited his sister in years as if he didn't care for her feelings.

"Isn't your constant focus on my sister's well-being the reason you are currently indisposed?" Naruto asked, and while his voice sounded kind, Sasuke was confident that Uzumaki boy was attempting to grate on his nerves.

When Sasuke didn't respond Naruto continued, "I'm sure that you're curious about what your brother has been up to. I hate to tell you this, but I'm fairly sure you'll be disappointed. He has banded together with the world's most dangerous S-Rank criminals." Naruto paused for a few moments, and when Sasuke continued to remain silent, he proceeded to twist the proverbial knife, "Do you not feel guilty, sitting here, alive and well, while Itachi-san does who knows what to the innocent people of the world?"

"I'm starting to think that my more immediate problem is you," Sasuke growled, after finally having enough. Naruto's demeanor didn't change at all; however, he tilted his head into in curiosity.

"And why might that be?" Naruto asked serenely. To a person that didn't know what the blonde Uzumaki was capable of, they would wonder if he was an angel. However, Sasuke's thinking was more along the lines of whether or not Naruto was the devil.

"I know what you did in the tower of the Forest of Death," Sasuke stated accusingly. "Those Anbu guards were killed by you."

Naruto closed his eyes as if he were attempting to relax. It couldn't have been Kakashi who told the Uchiha survivor that he was the one responsible for the murders. Kakashi had been investigating and meddling with his affairs for years now, and if he had discovered his identity, he would have informed the Hokage. So who could it have been?

Naruto's eyes opened back up, and he smiled, "Itachi-san told you." he said, not sounding particularly surprised.

Sasuke ignored the statement in favor of laying into the blonde, "Clearly you're more dangerous than you let on. You think that you're going to continue getting away with this? I would kill you right now if I were able."

"But you aren't able," Naruto responded quickly. "You aren't able because your development has been hampered in this village. With your talent and bloodline, you should be leagues ahead of anyone in your age group. However, you were nearly killed by the Suna Jinchuuriki." Naruto continued before Sasuke could respond, "When Itachi-san was your age he was strong enough to become an Anbu, and only a year later he was able to annihilate your clan. Yet, here you are, still a genin."

Sasuke was enraged, but he couldn't quite dispute any of the blonde's claims. There were plenty of people in the history of the Shinobi World that were much stronger than he was when they were his age. In the past, he hadn't expected to be the strongest person in the world at this point, but he at least anticipated he'd be strong enough to give Itachi trouble. Which is why he was so disappointed to be so utterly defeated by his brother.

"Orochimaru-san wishes to use you for his benefit," Naruto said. "However, you should use it as an opportunity to use him. Go to him, and learn what you need to learn. Become strong enough to avenge your clan, and then kill Orochimaru-san when he has outlived his usefulness."

"Is that what you would do?" Sasuke snapped loudly.

"Yes," Naruto answered calmly and with a polite smile.

Sasuke sat in silence and contemplated Naruto's words. Before the conversation could go any further Naruto disappeared in the blink of an eye. Sasuke clenched his fists under his bed sheets. He hadn't even seen the blonde move, and yet, they were the same age. He wasn't a fool; it was clear as day that Naruto was the superior shinobi. Naruto left the village and then skyrocketed in power, so it seemed that the last Uchiha had a lot to think about.

 **~Break~**

"So, what is Tsunade-sama like?" Tenten asked Mito excitedly, hoping to hear about her idol.

"She likes to gamble and drink," Mito answered with a cheeky smile. She was delighted to be in the presence of so many of her friends. Ino had arranged a get together with all the other Konoha genin that participated in the Chunin Exams, and Mito was happy to be invited. She looked around the table and noted that everyone was present except for Sasuke; hell, even Neji was in attendance.

"Does 'Lord' Uchiha think himself too good to show up?" Kiba asked, still holding a grudge against Sasuke for the beating during the Academy spar. Mito couldn't blame him for being resentful, especially since Sasuke never apologized. Apparently, it took several weeks for the Inuzuka heir to fully recover from his injuries.

Before he could continue, he received an elbow in the gut from Ino. "Not now Kiba," she said in an overly sweet voice that made the Inuzuka boy's spine tingle. There was nothing more terrifying than the fury of an angry woman, and Ino is especially nasty when irritated.

"Sasuke-kun is still in the hospital, but he is doing better," Sakura chimed in, hoping to alleviate any tension.

"You and Sasuke-san did an honorable thing, Mito," Neji complimented with a nod of the head, referring to their retrieval of the 5th Hokage. Ever since his defeat during the Chunin Exams, Neji had become much more pleasant to be around. Part of it was that he was humbled by his loss, but it was mostly because he wanted to better himself, to honor Hinata's legacy.

"It all sounds troublesome to me," Shikamaru complained, much to Ino's obvious annoyance. "Why is it that we have to deal with so much stuff already? I just wanted a simple Shinobi life."

The group talked for a few more minutes and then their meals finally arrived. Choji's order was by far the largest, but Mito's came in a close second. Ino and the other girls were extremely jealous of Mito's ability to eat seemingly anything and not gain any weight. However, it shouldn't be a surprise, since Mito was extraordinary in so many ways.

"So," Ino said, sparking conversation once more. "I heard a contingent of Sunagakure Shinobi came to speak to Tsunade-sama. Apparently, they want a peaceful resolution."

The entire group had mixed feelings about letting Suna off the hook so easily. The majority were happy that any further fighting had been averted. But unsurprisingly, one genin was fairly irritated. "That's bullshit," Kiba growled. "They ambushed us, their ally, and they're getting away scot-free? A couple of my clansmen were killed by those assholes during the invasion."

"We killed more of them than they did of us," Shino countered in his typical stoic voice. "So I believe that makes things even. That's because they suffered the deaths of many shinobi, including their Kazekage."

"I get not continuing to fight, nobody wants any more bloodshed," Kiba clarified. "But is there seriously going to be no punishment? Maybe they attacked us in the first place because they knew we would be such pushovers about it."

"I concur," Neji said. "It is always for the best to avoid war," as he said this he thought about how his father sacrificed his life to prevent war with Kumogakure. "But at the very least, there should have been some form of punishment."

"The Hokage is thinking about the big picture," Shikamaru drawled. "Suna was manipulated by the man who organized the invasion and killed the Third Hokage. Their Kazekage was murdered, and Orochimaru posed as him for who knows how long. Rather than fighting each other, we will ally with them to defeat our common enemy. In doing so, we will become stronger allies than ever before."

"That still doesn't change the fact that they invaded us!" Kiba said, getting irritated at what he believed to be a bad point.

"If the Hokage ordered us to invade a village, we all would have done it," Shikamaru said, shutting Kiba up immediately. "Suna Shinobi are required to follow any and all orders from their leader, just as we are."

This got the group of young genin thinking once more. What if the Hokage ordered them to do something so immoral, would they have to do it? Would it make them bad people for doing such a thing? Most of them had never attempted to view the situation from the perspective of the Suna shinobi. After doing so, even Kiba had to admit that he understood their decision, even if it was only begrudgingly.

"How do we know Hokage-sama won't order us to do such a thing in the future?" Choji asked with food hanging out of his mouth.

"We'll just have to put faith in the fact that the Hokage will never force us to do such a thing," Mito said with a smile, lifting everyone's spirits. "Our village is not absent of past sins, but it is more important to focus on the present and future. We can never change the past, so we should concentrate on building a better tomorrow."

"Hmm, perhaps you should be Hokage someday, Mito," Shikamaru commented with a lazy smirk. Truthfully, everyone assumed that one day Mito would have her visage carved on the Stone Faces. She had the talent, intellect, and charisma that were required to be an excellent leader.

"W-Well, I don't know, I've never really thought about it," Mito said, a little embarrassed at the praise. Perhaps she would make a good Hokage some day. Especially considering that a Hokage is one who is trusted and respected by their fellow shinobi, even before they take the position.

"Then we'd all be friends with a Hokage; we'll practically have carte blanche."

The entire group laughed at the joke and the evening turned out to be a rather pleasant experience. But you know what they say, there is always the calm before the storm.

 **~Break~**

It seemed as though today was the day for strange visitors. First Naruto and then four of Orochimaru's goons that referred to themselves as the Sound Four; Sasuke was half expecting his brother to come through the window next. However, while Naruto and the Sound Four likely had varying motivations, their messages were the same; they both were encouraging him to seek more power outside of the village. Even so, the visits did well in showing him just how behind he was in the process of becoming strong enough to kill Itachi.

Those Sound Four ingrates were stronger than he was and were much better at using their curse marks, and he didn't even want to get started on Naruto. If those imbeciles were able to become so powerful under Orochimaru, imagine how powerful the heir to the Uchiha Clan would become under the snake Sannin's tutelage?

Sasuke had just finished changing out of his hospital clothes and into his shinobi garbs. It felt good to be out of bed and prepared for battle once more. As he approached the windowsill, he pondered the offer that was just laid before him. All he needed to do was meet the Sound Four at the border between Fire Country and Rice Country, and they would escort him to Orochimaru.

He closed his eyes and thought about all the things he would be leaving behind. Mito, Sakura, and Kakashi were undoubtedly the people that were most precious to him in this world. However, when thinking about those who used to be precious to him, and what his brother did to them, the decision became a no-brainer. He hoped that Mito would understand and respect his decision.

As he darted across the rooftops of the village and glanced at the moon in the night sky, he realized the reality of his choice. It would likely be some time before he was able to come back here again, and perhaps just as long before he saw a lot of the people he had grown accustomed to seeing every day.

Once he finally passed over the walls of the village, he knew that there was no turning back. He traveled for miles, and all he could see was the darkness above and the occasional branch swinging close to his face. However, before he could proceed, he felt a familiar presence gaining on him. He stopped in the middle of a clearing and waited for them to catch up. Unsurprisingly, Mito landed in behind him with a distraught look marring her usually cheerful face.

"What are you doing so far from the village, Sasuke?" she demanded, though, by the tone of her voice, it was pretty clear that she knew exactly what he was doing.

"I have to do this Mito, and only you can even come close to understanding why," Sasuke answered, knowing that beating around the bush would be pointless.

The wind blew which caused the grass below to shift about hypnotically. For Sasuke, it was becoming very difficult to look his teammate in the eye without being racked with guilt. He meant what he said earlier, she was the only person who could empathize with his situation, and by extension, he was able to empathize with hers as well. He couldn't have asked for a better best friend, and that fact that she ran all the way here after him was proof of that.

"Please Sasuke, don't leave," Mito pleaded to her friend. All the previous anger was gone from her voice, and it was stricken with nothing but sadness. "I have already lost so many people."

"So have I," he countered. "And that's why I have to do this; to avenge their deaths."

"At the cost of everything you hold dear?!" she shouted with tears in her eyes. Ironically, it soon began to rain, as if the heavens were weeping alongside her. It wouldn't surprise Sasuke if that were the case, even a god couldn't help but like Mito, she was special in that way.

"This is the end of our bond," Sasuke says in a deadly calm voice. "In truth, people like us were never meant to befriend anyone. We understand what it feels like to lose the ones we love, so in theory, we should avoid bonds in order to prevent any future losses. I am going to correct that mistake." He looks directly into Mito's cerulean eyes and hammers the last nail in the proverbial coffin, "I have been holding you back for long enough, just like you and everyone else in the village have been holding me back."

Mito froze in place, and Sasuke began to get unnerved as she stared unblinkingly into his eyes for what felt like an eternity. The rain shifted into a downpour, and he began to feel his clothing sticking to his skin and his hair becoming soaked. He thought that his redheaded friend would never move another inch, but then she slowly turned around in the other direction and began walking back towards the village. Her steps were slow and wobbly, and it almost looked as if she was sleep walking, but Sasuke knew the truth, that was what grief did to a person.

Once she returned under cover of the trees and was out of sight, Sasuke collapsed to his knees and stared at the muddy ground below him. The weight of what he had just done, and in particular, what he had just done to his best friend, had just collapsed on his shoulders. Like himself, Mito was probably very uncomfortable with opening up to people, and yet, she decided to put her faith in him, and he had just betrayed that faith.

He stood up after composing himself and looked back in the direction she had just gone. After the final glance, he leaped forward towards his intended destination without looking back. He made his decision, and now he would live with it.

 **~Break~**

Her world had just shattered right before her eyes. As she made the slow trek back to the villages, her steps felt almost purposeless. When confronted with the fact that Sasuke could so easily sever their bond, she had lost any will to fight. If anyone were to ask the hypothetical question of what she would do if one of her friends tried to abandon the village, she'd probably say that she would knock some sense into them and drag them back. However, when confronted with the gut-wrenching reality of the situation, she found herself drained of all energy.

In truth, it was similar to how she felt when her brother went missing; much like she did with Naruto, Mito viewed Sasuke as a brother, with the only difference being that she and Sasuke didn't share the same blood. Once again something she cared about had been ripped from her grasp, and this time she had no idea what to do. In the past, the Third Hokage was always a shoulder to cry on and a voice of wisdom, but now he was dead. She was orphaned and had no clue regarding the identity of her birth parents, her first foster parents died, her brother went missing and is presumed dead, her childhood friend was murdered during the Chunin Exams, and now Sasuke was abandoning the village. It was almost as if she was destined to suffer.

She passed through the gate with ease, considering the two guards were fast asleep. Usually, she would have laughed at their goofy sleeping faces, but she was in no mood for humor of any kind. The streets were completely empty, much like the feeling in her chest. She looked up towards the Hokage Stone Faces and didn't feel any of the hope she typically felt while gazing upon them. Her eyes shifted to the revered Fourth Hokage, and she wondered what he would have done in her situation. He probably would have fought to bring his comrade back, rather than walking away like a coward.

 _Suddenly she was walking down the same street, and yet, the rain had completely stopped. She glanced around and noticed that everything seemed odd, and immediately felt an uncontrollable fear well up in her chest. She had been wandering the streets for what seemed like hours, and she needed to see her big bro immediately._

 _Mito looked down at her right arm and saw the nail marks that were left behind as if someone had attempted to grab her against her will. As she passed one of the shops, she saw her reflection in the window and noticed that her tiny five-year-old body was littered with small cuts, likely from running away through the woods. She gazed at the Hokage Stone Faces and felt herself calm down a little bit. Much like her brother, she always felt as though those stone carvings were looking out for her._

 _She continued walking for several minutes, and she finally made it towards the outskirts of the village, which was where her destination was located. As she walked through the trees, she felt spooked by all the shadows and hoped that there weren't any monsters lurking about._

 _Finally, she reached the orphanage and hoped that her brother hadn't left with the other children to play in the playground. However, she knew that he would wait for her forever if that were what it took. As she approached the door, she could almost feel the fear leaving her body. Her big bro would be here, and he'd take care of her. She opened the door and gave a greeting._

" _I'm home," she said, hoping not to startle her brother in case he wasn't prepared for her arrival._

 _However, standing before her was not her brother, but a perfect copy of herself. "Welcome home," the figure said._

Mito snapped out of the strange reoccurring dream and found that she was standing on her stepparent's doorstep. That was all right with her, seeing as that was her original destination. Regardless, she was a bit unnerved about that fact that she had lost consciousness and walked this far, in the rain no less. It almost made her forget the pain of Sasuke's defection; almost.

"I'm home," she called out, and immediately felt deja vu, thinking it was ironic she was repeating the phrase she regularly heard her younger self say in her dreams. However, she was fairly unnerved at the lack of any response, which was unusual, especially for her boisterous father. He would stay up as late as he needed to to make sure that she got home safe, which she appreciated.

Mito walked into the living room and was shocked and appalled at what she saw. Lying on the rug were her step-parents, with their throats slit and wide dead eyes. She stared in utter shock for several moments before she sensed a presence in the other room, and it was the eeriest thing she had ever felt in her entire life. She walked like a person possessed until she was standing before the double doors of the dining room. One of the doors was slightly open, which led her to believe that the person responsible for the brutal murder in the other room was lurking inside.

She slowly pushed the door open and felt her spine tingle at the squeaking sound the hinges made as she did so. Her eyes were blood red and slitted due to the Kyuubi's chakra, brought forth by her rage. However, her eyes immediately shifted back to their normal color when she saw her brother standing in the center of the room. The dining room table was not set up, so the room was an entirely empty space, and he could be seen standing there due to the moonlight shining through the window. In his hand was a bloody kunai and she was smart enough to infer what that meant.

"N-Naruto?" she asked in a traumatized daze. "What have you done?"

He didn't respond, but her instincts allowed her to catch the kunai knife as he tossed it into her hands, clearly intending for her to wield it for whatever reason. When looking into his eyes, she felt a primal fear build up in her chest. His eyes were half lidded and yielded nothing. He slowly pointed towards his heart in a move that made little sense until he spoke with a polite smile and half lidded gaze.

"Kill me, Mito."

 **~End~**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths (Elisabeth Kubler-Ross).**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Twelve**

"Kill me, Mito," Naruto said calmly while gesturing towards his heart.

"W-What?" Mito asked while trembling in fear. She had been afraid before and had met some terrifying people, but Naruto definitely took the cake. If the eyes were the window to the soul, then Naruto's eyes showed the soul of a monster. He didn't seem scared of nervous at all like he hadn't just casually requested that a person take his life.

"Stab me in the chest, Mito," Naruto clarified as if she didn't know what he meant in the first place.

"Why would you kill them?!" Mito demanded, now with tears streaming down her face. "They were good people, I cared about them, I loved them!"

"If you loved them so much, then you will kill me," he responded serenely. "This was how it was meant to end, with you and I as the only two people in the world."

 _Mito's eyes widened as she remembered a moment from their childhood. They were in the orphanage, and it was raining, with lightning. She was extremely terrified and was clutching her bed sheets in the hopes that that scary sounds would go away. Suddenly, someone climbed into the bed next to her and gently grabbed her in their arms. She opened her eyes a bit and saw that it was her brother, Naruto._

" _B-Big bro?" Mito asked, and cursed the fact that the fear was so clearly evident in her voice. She was supposed to be tough!_

" _Do not worry, Mito," Naruto said in a soothing voice. "It is just inclement weather, it will not hurt you."_

 _She tried to close her eyes once more in an attempt to block out the fear, but it wasn't very effective. It wasn't just the horrid weather that terrified her, the entire chaotic world did. Sometimes she wished that she and her brother didn't have to live such complicated lives._

" _Ignore the world around you," Naruto continued. "Many people see us every day, but there is nobody that truly knows us. It is just you and me Mito, and nobody else."_

 _Mito felt the fear leaving her body as she contemplated her brother's words. No matter what happened, she knew that her brother would protect her, and while focusing just on that, all fear vanished. "Like we're the only two people in the world?" she asked hopefully, knowing that what she was saying wasn't literal; it was figurative, and her big bro was smart enough to realize what she meant._

" _Yes," Naruto said as he tightened his hug, making her feel even safer. "We're the only two people in the world."_

Mito was shocked as she recalled another memory from her past. If it weren't for the tragic context of her situation, she would have considered it a pleasant memory. She looked at the kunai, still coated in her parent's blood, and noticed that it was trembling in her grasp. Whether it was fear at the monster before her, or sadness at the loss of her loved ones, she didn't know, but all in all, she wasn't one hundred percent in regards to her mental state.

Her hand tightened around the weapon, and she charged towards her brother. He made no move to dodge or deflect her attack, and she knew that this would be the end. However, when she was halfway towards him, she dropped the kunai and collapsed to her knees. Tears were streaming down her face, and it was clear that she could not bring herself to do it.

"I thought this was supposed to be the end," Naruto stated calmly, however, there was a bit of confusion in his voice.

She heard soft footsteps approaching her, and she grasped her head in fear. Nothing had ever managed to terrify her as much as her brother's presence. All she could hear was the sounds of the footsteps getting closer and closer. However, the steps passed right by her and continued until they left the front door of the house, leaving her completely alone.

Mito finally managed to stand up since her brother's suffocating presence was now gone. She walked on shaky feet until she was standing directly over her parent's corpses. Her mother's face was contorted into an expression of absolute fear, and her father's expression was that of defiance. They died because of her; if they had never adopted her Naruto would have never killed them.

The crushing realization that they were truly gone hit her like a ton of bricks and she sprinted out of the house with no particular destination in mind. Nothing else mattered at the moment other than escaping the crushing reality.

 **~Break~**

It was the same dream again, he had been having it for weeks now. Darkness would engulf everything, and then suddenly, a figure would appear and produce a light so bright that it obliterated any and all evil in existence. When laying eyes on this figure, he wasn't able to discern much due to the brightness of the light. However, he was able to make out the cerulean blue eyes and the blonde hair. Upon having this dream for the fifth time, its message was made clear. The person he was dreaming about was the Prophet.

He rose from his bed, and his servants shuffled in and helped him prepare for the day. They dressed him in his white robes, which were customary for his position. He stepped out onto his balcony and observed his people. Hundreds were kneeling on the ground, facing the sky with their arms stretched to the side. This was the standard prayer position, which had been passed down for nearly one hundred years.

"Rojin-sama," one of his servants addressed him by his formal title. The title of Rojin meant Elder or Superior and was intended to symbolize his position as the leader of the Faith of Tengoku. "The people are prepared to be addressed by you, Rojin-sama."

"My children," the Rojin bellowed towards his people, immediately getting their attention. "We have all been born into an era of change, born with the purpose of playing a role in the future of our world. We shall not sit idly by and watch the world change around us. No! We shall be the ones to usher in this new age."

The followers were enraptured by his speech and for a good reason. The Faith of Tengoku, or just The Faith as it was commonly called, was the fastest spreading religion in the Elemental Nations. All the minor countries, excluding the Land of Rain and the Land of Rice, had converted to Tengoku and had made it the primary religion of their lands. Tengoku had hundreds of priests traveling the world and converting thousands by the day. The greatest boon for their faith was when the new Daimyo in the Land of Water was converted and declared The Faith to be the law of the land. Such a decision was to be expected considering the priests of Tengoku did so much to help the innocent during the Bloodline Purges and the Kirigakure Civil War. Even the new Mizukage was a follower of their faith.

"I have received visions within my dreams, visions from God," he continued. "He has presented to me the image of the Prophet, the one who will lead us and this world into an endless age of peace and enlightenment."

Cries of pure happiness exploded throughout the area as the people realized that they were living in the age of the prophet. The Rojin continued after the noises died down a bit, "It has become my life's mission, and the mission of those who follow me, to find this prophesied savior. This is the will of God!"

He proceeded to lead his people in prayer, a task that lasted quite a bit of time. However, once he had completed the streets below cleared up quite a bit, and it was quiet once more. The Rojin walked throughout his palace-like home and halted in his tracks while standing before a mirror. He was an elderly man, with thinning white hair and wrinkled skin. His name was Akira Maki, and he descended from the formally prosperous Whirlpool Country. He was not an Uzumaki; however, many people lived in the land of Whirlpools under the Uzumaki's protection, and his parents were such people. He was young when Uzushiogakure was destroyed, but he did remember when he and his family, along with all those who lived in the country evacuated. Thankfully, Konoha and the Land of Fire gave sanctuary to those who lost their homes in the tragic event, and therefore, The Faith lived on through its followers.

The Faith of Tengoku was a monotheistic religion that existed within the Uzumaki Clan for centuries. Only those within Whirlpool Country were privy to it since it wasn't something that was spread throughout the world. However, when the Country was destroyed, and the people were scattered across the nations, The Faith spread as well. Tengoku was a religion of peace that centered around loving and doing right by your fellow man. In the violent Shinobi world, such a belief system was helpful in preventing war and helping those in need.

Akira walked towards the living area of his home and found that a messenger was waiting for him. The man was wearing clothing that showed that he served the Fire Daimyo, so Akira figured he was delivering a message from his leader. The man approached him and bowed before extending his hand, which was holding a scroll, forward. Akira nodded his head respectfully and unrolled the scroll and began reading. A peaceful smile spread across his face as he read the good news.

"Daimyo-sama was adamant, Rojin-sama, and the people are also in resounding agreement," the messenger said respectfully.

"This is splendid news indeed, what a day," Akira stated with joy. He looked towards the messenger and his smile widened. "Please tell Daimyo-dono that I welcome him into the faith and that his decision has been another step in the creation of the new world."

The messenger nodded before leaving the room, and Rojin was left alone. As of today, he was arguably had more political power than anyone in the world, but he didn't let that muddle his good intentions. Political power was necessary, but it was only a tool to spreading the word of God.

To Akira, it was no coincidence that The Faith was beginning to prosper during the same time the Prophet came into existence. In his opinion, it was his duty to prepare the world for the Prophet's arrival, and he was doing a splendid job so far. Now, all he had to do was find the Prophet, who likely didn't even know that they held such a title. However, he was confident that if he found the individual, he would be able to know who it was. The presence he felt during his dream was unforgettable.

He would find the blue eyed child.

 **~Break~**

The journey back had been rough since Kakashi's wounds healed much slower than expected. He and Ibiki were traveling slowly and with care since they suspected the Nara who had attempted to murder them several days ago was observing them, ironically, from the shadows. Kakashi had sought to send a message to the Hokage, but his messenger dog was forced to dispel during its journey since it was nearly murdered. It was made clear that this entire process would not be easy.

They had finally returned to the Land of Fire, yet they could still feel the eyes following their every move. It was wishful thinking to expect the assassin to let them leave that barn alive, especially after what they had seen. It wasn't a question of if he would attack them during their journey, it was a matter of when.

However, the presence soon faded away, and he and Ibiki were left alone in a clearing. Had the cutthroat given up, or did he have different plans? Either way, the two Konoha jonin were not about to let their guard down, not even for a moment. That was good since it allowed them to narrowly a barrage of shuriken that came their way. The person who threw them did so expertly, in a way that did not relay their position within the tree line.

Slowly, a figure walked from the shadows of the trees, revealing himself to be Naruto. Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief considering it was the first time he had seen his sensei's son in years. The boy looked almost identical to his sister, save for the difference in hair style and color. However, his presence was light night compared to Mito's which was like day. Kakashi had fought in the Third Great Shinobi War, and even he was unnerved by the young boy.

"You shouldn't have dedicated yourself to something so dangerous, Kakashi-san," Naruto said.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes before drawing a kunai. For him, the time for talking was over, seeing as it would only upset him even further. Ibiki prepared for battle next to him, and he wondered if the two of them could even kill Naruto. He gave the vibe of someone incredibly powerful, much like his father did. However, it was a much more sinister feeling considering Kakashi knew first hand what Naruto was capable of.

Kakashi managed to block a sword strike at the last second and was shocked at his opponent's speed. Even with all his experience, Naruto had blitzed him. He ducked under a diagonal slash and delivered a sweeping leg kick. Naruto jumped over it but was quickly forced to twist his body midair as Ibiki threw multiple shurikens. He landed a few feet back before weaving through a string of hand seals and the two Konoha jonin tensed in anticipation.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," Naruto eerily whispered.

The ball of fire was significantly larger than anything Kakashi was capable of. If the circumstances were different, he would be proud of the skills that Minato-sensei's son was displaying. However, his thoughts were soon interrupted when a wave of lava came careening towards him. 'Damnit,' he thought to himself before leaping to the safety of a tree branch.

Naruto walked on the lava as if he were water walking. This showed Kakashi that attempting to use Naruto's lava against him would be useless since he was seemingly immune to it. Kakashi went through the signature hand signs for the Raikiri, and his right hand was encased in lightning. He waited for the lava on the ground to dissipate being flashing towards Naruto at astounding speeds. Naruto dodged at the last moment, and the attack only grazed a bit of his hair.

Kakashi slammed his hands on the ground, and a wall of earth was erected to block an attempted water style attack by his opponent. The versatility Naruto was demonstrating with his jutsu was astonishing. However, he was soon shocked when Naruto was standing behind him with an orb of rotating blue chakra. 'The Rasengan?!' Kakashi shouted in his mind with uncharacteristic worry.

Upon seeing the blonde wielding the Fourth Hokage's signature jutsu, the boy was soon replaced with an image of Minato Namikaze, smiling with the Rasengan in hand. This flash to the past prevented Kakashi from being able to dodge, and he was about to be killed; however, he was saved at the last moment. He was brought back to his senses when he saw Ibiki standing in front of him. Kakashi was about to address his comrade, but soon saw the ball of rotating chakra drilling into the man's chest. It was evident now that Ibiki had jumped in front of the jutsu to save Kakashi's life, all because the gray haired jonin allowed himself to get caught up in the past.

Once the jutsu dissipated Ibiki collapsed into Kakashi's arms and surprisingly Naruto made no move to attack. Kakashi grabbed his dying comrade and created some distance between himself and his opponent. He looked at Ibiki's face and noticed that the man didn't seem at all affected by the pain. It was no surprise since when it came to tolerating pain Ibiki was one of the baddest men on the planet.

"K-Kakashi," he said between coughs of blood. "You n-need to cont-"

Tragically, he was unable to finish his last words as he succumbed to his injury. Kakashi clenched his eyes in sadness before composing himself and directing his attention back towards Naruto. Ibiki would not have wanted him to forget about the objective. In fact, Kakashi figured the man's attempted last words were along those lines. "Your father would be ashamed of you, Naruto," Kakashi said, more sad than angry. "Your mother too. It would have broken their hearts."

"Then I suppose we have something in common, Kakashi-san," Naruto countered smoothly. "The Fourth Hokage was dedicated to protecting his comrades. However, from what I've seen, you are not nearly as skilled at doing so. It is interesting how adept we both are at disappointing his legacy, wouldn't you say?"

Kakashi almost wanted to throw up at the sickening display. How could Naruto be so different from his sister? Mito would have never said something so vile and hurtful, not in a hundred years. Not only was Naruto incredibly twisted, but he also was extremely pragmatic when planning his atrocities. He killed nearly three hundred people in the port city, all because he wanted a single man dead.

The two then engaged in a taijutsu battle, which resulted in an absolute standstill. Naruto stabbed Kakashi through the shoulder with a kunai, but Kakashi immediately gripped the hand holding the weapon, thus holding his opponent in check. His left hand was encased with lighting and with immense sadness he pierced through Naruto's chest. However, he was shocked when the blonde boy blew up into smoke. His body stiffened, and he turned around fast enough to gain whiplash and felt Naruto's palm touch his forehead. The boy's hand was encased with blue chakra, and Kakashi jumped back to avoid the full damage of the no doubt killing jutsu. Regardless, he didn't do so quickly enough to get off scot free. He felt his vision getting hazy and knew that he would no longer be able to defend himself. He collapsed to the ground and began formulating his final thoughts.

However, he was soon shocked when a cloaked figure teleported in front of him and placed their hand on his back. The last thing he felt was the weightlessness of a shunshin before losing consciousness completely.

 **~Break~**

Mito ran for what felt like an eternity. She had left the confines of the village and was now sprinting through the forests that surrounded Konoha. The strange amalgamation of anger, sorrow, and fear were making her psyche feel like a raging storm. She was angry at the world, for being such a cruel place. She was angry with her brother for taking the lives of two people that were very precious to her. But more of all, she was angry at herself, for her cowardice.

Mito's fragile mental state caused a lapse in awareness which resulted in her tripping face-first into the ground. She laid down for several minutes before grasping her face and letting all of her grief explode out in a single moment. The thunderous sound of the rain pounding against the ground around her increased with the sound of her wails. Years and years of loss and suffering had accumulated and tonight was the straw that broke the camel's back.

She lifted herself from the ground and continued her slow trek through the woods. Eventually, she made her way towards a clearing and was shocked to see a bleeding body. After approaching it slowly, she recognized the corpse as the man who proctored the First Stage of the Chunin Exams, Ibiki Morino. He had a strange injury to his chest that she immediately recognized as that of a Rasengan. Her eyes widened at the strangeness of it, only she and Jiraiya knew how to use that jutsu, and she knew that Jiraiya-sensei wasn't responsible for the murder, so who could it have been?

Mito was quickly able to come to a conclusion about who was responsible. It wasn't too much of a stretch to think that Naruto was capable of the Rasengan, and it also wouldn't be a stretch to believe that he committed this murder after killing her parents. The idea of him killing Ibiki-san wasn't that strange, considering Ibiki-san and Kakashi-sensei were investigating the murders throughout Fire Country, murders she now knew her brother to be responsible for. All the murders were connected to Orphanage 8, a place where her brother lived, and now that she knew what he was capable of it was clear that he was the perpetrator of said killings.

All her thoughts halted when she realized that Kakashi-sensei was traveling alongside Ibiki, and he was nowhere to be found. She began searching the area, in case she may find him injured of incapacitated, but was forced to stop in her tracks when a team of chunin leaped into the clearing. They looked at the corpse and then looked at her, and she could practically see the cogs turning in their heads.

"Mito-san," one of them said, apparently unhappy about what he was being forced to do. "We're going to need you to come with us."

"I didn't do it," Mito exclaimed. "It wasn't me!"

It now made complete sense. Naruto killed Ibiki using a jutsu that only she and Jiraiya-sensei were known to be capable of utilizing. Was killing her parents not enough for him, did he need to frame her for a crime she didn't commit as well?

"We know that you have experienced a shocking trauma with the death of your parent's, Mito-san. Come with us, if you cooperate it will allow us to help you," another chunin said in a placating tone. It was clear that they were all sympathetic to her situation and were just doing their jobs, but Mito still felt the rage beginning to boil up inside of her.

The chunin became startled once they noticed the intense red chakra permeating through Mito's body. Her eyes had become blood red with cat-like slits. In an attempt to restrain her before things escalated any further they surrounded the volatile girl but were instantly launched back by the corrosive chakra, with their bodies covered with burns. The Uzumaki girl sprinted in the opposite direction, and the chunin were intelligent enough not to follow.

The tears that flowed down Mito's cheeks almost instantly evaporated due to the heat created by the Kyuubi's chakra. Not only was she now completely alone in the world, but she would be wanted for murder too. Sure she could preach her innocence, but she was done playing nice. There was one person responsible for a vast majority of her pain, and she would find him. It didn't matter if it took days, weeks, months, or even years. She would do what she was too weak to do earlier in the evening.

She would kill Naruto.

 **~Break~**

"What the hell is going on?" Tsunade growled to herself in irritation. She had just spent the past few hours healing several of her chunin from chakra related burns. Apparently, they confronted Mito standing near the dead body of Ibiki Morino, and when they tried to apprehend her, she went berserk.

A figure leaped through her office window, and she didn't need to look up to know who it was. "Is it true, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked with a worried tone. "Is she really gone?"

Tsunade's lack of any response was all Jiraiya needed to confirm what he already knew. "The Anbu seem to think that she was responsible for not only the death of Ibiki Morino but her parents as well," Tsunade stated. "Apparently, the evidence is all there."

"I think we both know that isn't true, Tsunade," Jiraiya countered. "There is no way that she was involved with any of those killings. This is Mito we're talking about, the kindest person in the entire village."

"When the evidence is this overwhelming it doesn't really matter what we think," Tsunade sighed while massaging her temples. "It's true that I have the final say in the matter, but I can't appear biased before any of my subordinates. If I say that Mito is innocent, in spite of so much evidence, people will begin to question my fairness as a leader. They'll ask themselves if I would do such a thing for anyone, or if I'm only doing it for Mito since I am fond of her."

"Everyone is fond of her!" Jiraiya shouted in anger. "There isn't a single person in this village who would disagree with you proclaiming her innocence."

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade yelled while rising from her chair. "The commander of Anbu has already submitted his report. He and many others say that she is the prime suspect. Regardless of what I want, I'll have to at least mark her as a B-Rank missing-nin. I can try to delay this for as long as I can, but if she stays on the run for too long, she'll have to be put in the Bingo Book."

When Jiraiya didn't respond, she continued, "The longer she spends on the lam, the more damage she'll do to her reputation. People will wonder why an innocent person would run in the first place. You and I know that she didn't do it, but how long will everyone else continue to believe that?"

Jiraiya chuckled mirthlessly, "You know, you're beginning to talk like a Hokage. The Tsunade I knew would say to hell with other people thought and would do what was right. She wouldn't care if people believed she was being biased, and she sure as hell wouldn't put an innocent girl in the Bingo Book."

"But if I did," Tsunade interrupted calmly. "I'd send someone I trusted to find said girl before anything could happen to her."

Jiraiya stopped any further ranting and contemplated her words. There was only one person Tsunade would trust with such a mission, "You're saying you want me to find her?"

"We both know that regardless of what I say you're going to search for the brat anyway," Tsunade said before sitting back in her desk chair. "You're correct though, I have changed since becoming Hokage, and perhaps it has been for the worst. However, I can always count on you remaining the same, can't I, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya stepped towards the window, and when he was half way out, he heard his teammate speak, "Bring Mito Uzumaki back alive, Jiraiya. That is your mission, don't return until you have completed it."

A smirk appeared on Jiraiya's face, and he gave his Hokage a salute before jumping away. Perhaps Tsunade hadn't changed so much after all?

 **~End~**

 **Character Information (As of right now):**

 **Name:** Mito Uzumaki

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Uzumaki Adamantine Chains

 **Occupation:** Konoha Shinobi

 **Brief Character Description:** The twin sister of Naruto and one of the main protagonists of the stories. Unlike her brother, Mito is very kind and compassionate. She has suffered many tragedies in her life but does not let it affect her ability to remain a good person. Her primary goal is to unlock some of her memories, which for the most part, are lost to her. After her brother killed her parents and framed her for the murder of Ibiki Morino, she has made it her goal to kill him.

* * *

 **Name:** Sasuke Uchiha

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Sharingan

 **Occupation:** Konoha Shinobi

 **Brief Character Description:** The lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan Massacre and one of the main protagonists of the stories. Sasuke suffers through constant emotional trauma. He struggles to form bonds with others because he feels as though it is his obligation to his deceased clan and the world to kill Itachi. His closest relationship is with Mito Uzumaki, who he considers to be his first and best friend. After being soundly defeated and tortured by Itachi, Sasuke leaves the village to train under Orochimaru.

* * *

 **Name:** Kakashi Hatake

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** Sharingan

 **Occupation:** Konoha Shinobi

 **Brief Character Description:** The sensei of Team 7 and one of the main protagonists of the stories. Kakashi lives his life with the goal of living up to Obito's and the Fourth Hokage's principals. He feels as though it is his obligation to look after his sensei's children and is distraught when Naruto goes missing. He has now made it his goal to solve the mystery of Orphanage 8 and catch the monster who is killing people throughout the Elemental Nations. After he and Ibiki Morino discovered that Naruto was responsible for the murders Ibiki is killed and Kakashi is put into a coma but is rescued by a cloaked figure before Naruto can finish him off.

* * *

 **Name:** Arata (Real Name Unknown)

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** None

 **Occupation:** Follower of Naruto Uzumaki

 **Brief Character Description:** Arata's background is a complete mystery. However, he is a Nara, capable of using his clan's signature techniques. He specializes in assassination and kills people under the orders of Naruto Uzumaki without question.

* * *

 **Name:** Akira Maki

 **Kekkai Genkai (If Any):** None

 **Occupation:** Rojin aka the Head of the Faith of Tengoku

 **Brief Character Description:** Akira is the 103rd Rojin of the Faith of Tengoku. He is a morally just person with the goal of spreading his religion throughout the world for the betterment of mankind. He has had several dreams about a prophet with blue eyes and has made it his mission to find this person to lead mankind into a new world.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**The Antichrist is often identified with the second beast in the Book of Revelation that arises from the land, the beast that tries to make everyone worship the power of evil (Elaine Pagels).**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Twelve**

(4 Years Later)

Mito was walking down a dark corridor with absolutely no expression on her face. Her clothing was completely black, including a dark hooded cloak that covered the entirety of her form. It was clear that she was traversing some sort of hideout, and the eeriness of it reeked of her brother. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she saw a figure dart across the hallway before entering a room and slamming the thick wooden door behind them.

She lackadaisically approached the door and stood in front of it for several moments. Her eyes were closed, and she was focusing in an attempt to feel the presences within the room. There were three people, and one of them was leaning with their ear against the door. Upon discovering this, Mito drew a katana from the confines of her cloak and then stabbed it through the wooden door. She heard the grunt of the person on the other side, revealing that she had, in fact, pierced his flesh in the process.

The door was blasted open with a powerful kick, and the occupants cowered in fear. One was on the ground, gripping their bleeding shoulder in obvious pain while the other two were crouched in the corner. Mito punted the bleeding man in the face, crushing his nose and eliciting another pain-filled scream. She lifted the man by his neck and slammed him roughly against the stone wall.

"My brother, Naruto Uzumaki, where is he?" she demanded while tightening her hold. "Tell me, or I'll kill you in the most painful way imaginable."

"I-I," the man gasped, barely able to speak with Mito's hand nearly crushing his windpipe. "I-I won't tell you anything. Whatever you can do to me, he can do one hundred times worse. Your brother is the devil. Compared to him, you're just a child playing war."

Mito released her hold of the man, allowing for him to obtain several quick gasps of breath. However, his relief was short lived as he felt a sharp pain in his lower back and turned to see a blade piercing it. He was in too much shock to scream, especially when he noticed that he could no longer move his legs. "I've severed the thoracic area of your spinal cord," Mito explained in a dull monotone. "You'll never walk again; I hope my brother was worth it."

She turned her attention to the room's remaining occupants and was surprised at what she saw. Both unzipped their jackets, revealing their torsos to be covered with explosive tags. The pieces of paper began to sizzle, and Mito immediately darted out of the room. The fact that the hidden base was underground and insulated led to the explosion being much stronger than it normally would have been. As she sprinted down the hall and back towards the exit, she noticed the blast of flames was steadily gaining on her. Eventually, she jumped through the exit and the explosion launched out as well; she had just survived by the skin of her teeth.

After standing up, Mito casually dusted her clothing off before observing her surroundings. When she was satisfied that nobody was watching her from the surrounding area, she sheathed her blade and relaxed. She had been hunting her brother for years now and had found almost nothing at all in regards to any new information. None of his subordinates would reveal anything about him, mostly because the majority of them were too insane.

The secret base she had just searched belonged to a criminal organization. It seemed that her brother had ties to organized crime, which would explain why he had access to so much money. She was still attempting to discover just who her brother was associated with but knew that patience was necessary for success.

The last few years had been a blur. Almost the entirety of her time was spent alone, as she now avoided socializing with others. Through the vast number of tragedies throughout her life, she had lost faith in human relationships and had completely dedicated herself to hunting her brother. She had become powerful, much more powerful than she had been before leaving the village. In fact, she'd wager that she would be able to handle Kakashi-sensei pretty handily.

She paused in step and thought when she recalled her former sensei and purged the subject from her mind. Her new goal required her to be unburdened by bonds or memories of the past. In actuality, the recent years of toiling with a desire for revenge had allowed her to realize how Sasuke had felt for all this time. Mito supposed it was rather ironic that they both now had the goal of killing their sibling.

Mito continued walking until she finally made it to a dirt road that was typically used by merchants and traders. She looked towards the sky and pragmatically planned her next move. Her searches throughout the Land of Fire had proven to be fruitless. It shouldn't come as a surprise that her brother was so difficult to find considering he had been hiding for nearly a decade.

Another problem was the fact that when she actually found people who had associated themselves with her brother in the past they were either too insane or too afraid to tell her anything of value. Thinking about her brother always set her teeth on edge, since typically such thoughts were centered around painful memories. Naruto was the first and only person that she hated; well, other than the person she hated the most, which was herself.

With her next destination in mind, she narrowed her eyes in determination, hoping that her efforts would finally yield some results.

 **~Break~**

The time had finally come for his goal to reach its fruition. Sasuke had recently killed Orochimaru, which was relatively easy considering just how handicapped the man was after losing the ability to use his arms. In truth, Sasuke initially believed that Orochimaru was the lesser evil when compared to Itachi, but that line of thought ended pretty quickly; if Orochimaru were ever to obtain the power of the sharingan, he would be just as dangerous as Itachi, perhaps even more so.

The Uchiha survivor glanced over his shoulder and observed his newest companions. Sasuke was, by all means, a loner, but he would need people like Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo if he were to survive long enough to kill his brother. Karin's sensory ability and Jugo and Suigetsu's battle prowess were all valuable commodities. They could be a bit irritating at times, with Karin and Suigetsu's antics frequently grating on his nerves, but he was a patient person.

"You know, you have told us much of anything, Sasuke," Suigetsu complained while drinking from his water bottle.

"Shut up, Suigetsu!" Karin shouted. "Your constant whining is pissing me off."

"Enough, both of you," Sasuke interjected stoically. He then glanced towards Suigetsu and answered the question, "I'm going to need your help in tracking down my brother so I can take care of him. However, if the opportunity presents itself, I'd like to gather information on a particular individual."

"Figured you'd want to kill your brother, but who's the other person?" Suigetsu asked.

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki," Sasuke answered. He noticed a slight tensing of Karin's shoulders but did not comment.

"Never heard of him," Suigetsu scoffed. "Not like your brother, who's practically the boogeyman."

"Orochimaru-sama would frequently rant about someone named Naruto Uzumaki," Karin added. "Kabuto organized several search parties to find and eliminate him, but none of them returned alive. Eventually, Orochimaru-sama gave up, and that was the last I heard about him."

"He and I started in the Academy together," Sasuke said, surprising everyone. "He was consistently at the top of the class and was on track to graduating early, but one day he disappeared out of the blue, and has practically been a ghost ever since. However, my interest in him is personal, and I'd prefer not to go into too much detail."

"What, you have a crush on him or something?" Suigetsu joked. When he realized he was the only person laughing he coughed before composing himself. "But seriously, what's the deal with this guy? Why are you so curious about him?"

"You don't need to know," Sasuke practically growled. "If you ever meet him you'll understand why."

Before Suigetsu could continue his line of inquiry, Jugo interrupted him, "Quiet, Suigetsu," he said. "Leave Sasuke alone."

The former Kiri-nin grumbled in irritation before finally shutting up. The group continued walking for a few minutes, and Sasuke was thankful for the silence. The fact that he had been forced to recall his memories of Naruto once again irritated him tremendously. He didn't hate the blonde Uzumaki, but he was rather curious about what he was up to. Sasuke wasn't a fool, and if he discovered that Naruto was as monstrous as Itachi portrayed him to be in the Tsukuyomi genjutsu, then he'd have no qualms with killing the blonde Uzumaki as well.

Sasuke wanted to investigate Naruto to make sure that he wasn't a threat to Mito's life or well-being. It is hard to admit, but he still had a bit of a soft spot for his former teammate. She was his best friend, and being on Team 7 along with her reminded him of what it felt like to have a sibling. Granted, his relationship with Mito was quite different from the relationship that he once had with Itachi, which centered more around admiration than friendship. However, the feelings were definitely similar.

As the group known as Hebi continued on their journey, they saw a stone statue on the left side of the dirt road, with three individuals kneeled before it. Their hands were outstretched towards the sky, and their eyes were closed. Even to Sasuke, who was by no means a religious expert, it was clear that they were praying. Not wanting to interrupt them, he decided that passing silently would be for the best. However, he noticed that Karin fell behind and saw her standing a few feet back from the three strangers, observing the statue.

"What are you doing, Karin?" Sasuke asked in a subdued, yet still stoic tone.

Karin flinched out of her trance like state before looking mildly embarrassed, "Sorry, it's just that my mother often took me to a similar statue in our village to pray when I was a young child."

"Didn't know you were religious," Suigetsu casually stated.

"I'm not," Karin snapped at the former Kiri-nin, which resulted in him calmly flipping her the bird. "My mother was very religious, and I was too when I was a kid. But after seeing the things that I've seen, I think there is no way any sort of god could exist."

"Jeez, sorry I even said anything," Suigetsu groaned.

The group continued on until they finally reached their intended destination. It was a relatively large, non-shinobi city called Yama no Sato (Village Hidden in the Mountains). Yama no Sato was considered to be the capital of organized crime in the world. The city was ruled by three Yakuza organizations. They each divided the city into three districts and controlled the majority of crime within their territories. Sasuke figured that if there were anyone who could give him information on his brother, it would be someone in Yama no Sato.

"I can't imagine not being a shinobi," Suigetsu commented upon exiting the city. "These people are like worms to me."

"Karin," Sasuke said, ignoring Suigetsu and getting the attention of the redheaded girl. "Do you sense any noteworthy chakra signatures here?"

Karin formed a hand seal and concentrated for several moments. She opened her eyes and shook her head, "There are some signatures that creep up to jonin level, but nothing that is a threat to us."

"Everything is a threat," Sasuke countered as they stepped into a tea shop. "It is foolish to assume invincibility. A genin can kill an overconfident jonin."

They were seated and all but Suigetsu ordered a cup of steaming tea. Jugo was as calm as ever, and Karin seemed incredibly happy with the short moment of relaxation. Unsurprisingly, Suigetsu looked as if he was itching to cut something. Within the small shop, every woman's eyes were glued onto the Uchiha heir. Thankfully, Karin was far too engrossed in her tea to notice; otherwise, her jealousy would without a doubt kick in.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous man in a dark kimono stepped into the establishment and approached their table. He gave a short bow to the group of shinobi before speaking, "Greetings, Sasuke Uchiha. We are surprised by your presence, but it is not unwelcome."

"You know who I am," Sasuke asked, sounding not at all concerned.

"Of course," the mysterious man clarified. "The moment you entered the city we knew that you were here, and exactly who you were. No doubt you are looking for information."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the man who seemed to know so much about him. Always the pessimist, Sasuke could only assume that this man had negative intentions. However, he realized that no person could hide their motivations from Karin's sensory ability, and she hadn't attempted to warn him of any ill intent. He nodded his head to signal that the man was correct.

"Very well," the man said. "If you would follow me, I can take you to where all the answers lie."

Karin nodded towards her leader, alerting him that the man's chakra hadn't fluctuated, signaling that he was telling the truth. There was always the possibility that he had an extremely adept level of control over his chakra, but his reserves showed that he was not a shinobi. After exiting the tea shop, the true magnitude of the city revealed itself. The buildings were massive and reached high into the sky. Vendors lined the streets, which were packed with people going about their days. Sasuke had been under the impression that Konoha was a bustling community, but he was being proven wrong here today.

"Saza-sama has already been informed of your presence in the city," the man stated as they made their journey. "It won't be long before Mikami-sama and Akiya-sama are aware of you as well."

"I assume they are the three leaders that control this city," Sasuke stated.

"You would be correct in your assumption," the escort said. "However, you are lucky that you came here now and not a few years ago. Things were chaotic, and the three factions were constantly at war. We were all terrified because we feared that one of the shinobi villages would take advantage of our situation and invade. But eventually, things simmered down, and the Syndicate is to thank for that."

"The Syndicate?" Karin asked. "We have no knowledge of any criminal syndicates in this city."

The man nodded in understanding before explaining, "For years this city has been controlled by the Three Bosses. Decades ago, in order to prevent mass bloodshed, the three factions divided the city into three districts, and each took control of one. Saza-sama is the Boss of the North, Akiya-sama is the Boss of the East, and Mikami-sama is the Boss of the West."

He paused for a moment to give time for the information to sink in before continuing, "In recent years, the Three Bosses were getting into constant conflict over anything and everything, and much blood was being spilled. However, in unforeseen circumstances, they decided to come together, combine their assets, and create the Syndicate. Now, in a new era of cooperation, everyone has been getting much richer."

"Including yourself, the guy who escorts guests?" Suigetsu asked in an attempt to rile the stranger up. However, his shoulders slumped when his efforts were ignored. It seemed that everyone was giving him the cold shoulder today.

Eventually, they approached a particularly tall building, "This building is in the exact center of the city," the escort explained. "The Bosses congregate together every week, and this building serves as the meeting place. There is not a more secure location in the city."

They were met at the entrance of the building by a young man, roughly eighteen years of age. Karin made a subtle gesture to Sasuke to show that this individual had an impressive chakra pool. He had spiky brown hair and hazel eyes. For clothing, he wore a dark-blue long-sleeved shirt and gray pants with gray shinobi sandals, topped off with a black jacket with a fur hood.

"Ah, Amachi-san," the escort greeted before turning to Team Hebi. "This is Amachi Shoda; he is one of Saza-sama's many subordinates. He has been assigned the honor of guarding you during your time within the city."

"We don't need any guards," Suigetsu quipped. "I could wipe out this entire city in thirty minutes if I wanted to, and Sasuke could probably do it in half the time."

"Be that as it may, we insist," the escort stated before bowing to everyone and then leaving them with their new guard. Amachi gave a polite smile before gesturing for Team Hebi to follow him. Thankfully, the technology in this building allowed for an elevator; otherwise, the trek to the top would have been agonizing. Once they finally made it to the top floor, which Sasuke assumed was the meeting location, Amachi turned to them.

"You are all considered honored guests here," he said. "So there is no need to fear for your lives at any moment. However, it would be appreciated if you show respect while meeting with the Bosses."

"I thought we were only meeting with this Saza fellow," Karin interjected.

"Saza-sama," Amachi corrected. "And Amiya-sama and Mikami-sama came as quickly as they could, seeing as your presence here is considered very interesting."

The elevator doors opened the Team Hebi was greeted with the sight of a large oval shaped table. Seated at the table were the three individuals that Sasuke assumed were the Bosses of the city. Along the walls stood a multitude of guards, all of which looked reasonably competent. However, Karin soon whispered in Sasuke's ear.

"All these guards are either jonin or chunin level, and that older man at the head of the table would be considered an elite jonin by shinobi village standards," she warned, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes in preparation.

The older man Karin spoke of soon stood up and greeted his guests, "Hello there young ones," he said in a polite, yet still stern voice. "I am Saza Taishio, to my left is Amiya Naoko, and to my right is Mikami Masato. It is a pleasure to have you in our city."

Saza had tan skin, with a bald head and small black eyes. For clothing, he wore a blue kimono, however, with a tanto in his obi he looked very much like a Samurai. Sasuke estimated that he was nearly sixty years of age. To his left, Amiya was an older looking woman, probably about fifty-six years old with gray hair and brown eyes. Last but certainly not least, was Mikami Masato. He was clearly the youngest of the three, at about forty-five years of age, with slicked back black hair and green eyes. For clothing, he wore a gray kimono with a white haori. The three Bosses stood in greeting before Team Hebi were each escorted to a seat at the table.

"The Uchiha is one of the most ancient and respected clans in the History of the Elemental Nations," Saza continues. "We will always welcome one of you into our city. But am I correct in assuming that your visit is not recreational?"

"You are correct," Sasuke answered stoically. "Tell me everything you know about Itachi Uchiha and the Akatsuki."

The room went as silent as a graveyard. It seemed that bringing up an S-Rank missing-nin and the most dangerous criminal organization on the planet elicited an apprehensive response. However, this result merely proved Sasuke's point that these people would be useful sources of information.

"One doesn't simply gain valuable information regarding the Akatsuki, it is a mysterious phantom-like organization," Mikami said, speaking for the first time. "However, your brother is a different matter, and there is a minor possibility that we can provide you with new information."

Sasuke remained silent, and Mikami took it as an invitation to continue, "There are multiple Uchiha hideouts throughout the Elemental Nations. An associate of mine predicted that you would come to us for information, and informed me that if you were to ever find Itachi-san, it would be in one of them."

He passed a map along the table, and Sasuke immediately took it into his possession. If this information were true, it would prove invaluable in his quest. It may not turn out to be the ultimate solution, but it was more than he previously knew. The meeting lasted another hour, an hour that consisted of what Sasuke considered dull dinner conversation. These people claimed to know him, and yet they thought he would want to waste his time here while he could be uncovering even more information about his brother.

During the meal Team Hebi was presented with fine dining. Karin was easily the most excited, but after taking a bite, Suigetsu was equally thrilled. As usual, Jugo and Sasuke were the only members of their team to conduct themselves like mature adults as the former Kiri-nin and the redheaded sensor consumed copious amounts of food. Once the meal reached its end, Amiya promoted the idea of dessert and Sasuke decided to nip that in the bud.

He was about to announce Team Hebi's need to leave but was interrupted by Saza. In a shocking turn of events, Saza stood up to address the table, and almost instantly collapsed forward, hitting his head. Amachi was the first to leap towards his boss and check if he was alive. The utter dread on the young man's face told Sasuke all he needed to know. Saza Taishio was dead, from poison, and Yama no Sato would soon be embroiled in chaos, as the Syndicate attempted to find the individual or individuals responsible.

It seemed that they'd be spending a little more time here than expected.

 **~Break~**

"He doesn't show any signs of waking up anytime soon," a doctor told the man standing behind her. "However, the good news is that the chances of him dying have lessened tremendously."

The woman left the room, and Shisui stepped forward until he was looking at the prone form of Kakashi Hatake. The gray-haired jonin had been comatose ever since Shisui had saved him from being killed by Naruto. The issue was neurological since apparently the jutsu Naruto attempted to use against him targeted his brain. Thankfully, Kakashi was able to dodge the attack, so he didn't take the full force of the assault. However, the jutsu glanced him, thus resulting in his current state.

To Shisui, it seemed that Naruto was always winning this little game of theirs. Every time he would take two steps forward, it seemed that Naruto forced him into taking two steps back. Kakashi had been instrumental in his plans to put an end to the blonde Uzumaki's schemes, and now he was practically a potato. Mito too had been high on his list of people to align with, but she had gone rogue years ago; due to her brother's actions.

Shisui left the strange hospital room, which was odd in the sense that it had no windows of any kind. After doing so, it was revealed that he was not in a hospital, but some sort of underground bunker. It had bedrooms for sleeping, a kitchen for sleeping, and as shown previously, a medical center. After walking down the lamp-lit hallway, Shisui found himself standing before a winding staircase. The trek up was slow, as he was in no rush, and with every step, it became harder and harder to see. Once he reached the top of the steps, there seemed to be no door of any kind. However, after pulling a lever, a wall slid open, revealing a library through the doorway.

He walked through said doorway, which was revealed to be hidden behind a retractable bookshelf, and was met by an elderly looking man with white hair and an equally white beard. He had glasses, which wasn't odd for someone of his age, and had the look of a person with a keen understanding of things.

"Hiroshi-sama," Shisui greeted respectfully. He was a guest in this man's home after all.

The man chuckled, "Every time you step out of my hidden bunker, you never fail to look like an amazed child."

"Well, it is awe-inspiring," Shisui defended. "Not everyone has an underground house hidden underneath their already fantastic mansion."

"And not everyone is me," Hiroshi stated wisely before taking a seat in a comfortable looking chair.

Shisui took a seat in front of his host, and the two sat in silence for a few moments, which allowed him to reflect on his history with Hiroshi. After he had 'committed suicide' at the Naka River, he had washed up a few miles down stream, entirely surprised to be alive. He would have died had he not been rescued by mysterious looking men. After a few weeks of recovery, he woke up in the very same medical room Kakashi was currently occupying, and the first thing he saw was Hiroshi standing over him. The man had provided him with a pair of transplanted sharingan while he was still in recovery, allowing him to see again; something that Shisui was grateful for.

Initially, when Hiroshi proposed the Shisui assist him in uncovering the corruption behind Orphanage 8, he did so out of a desire to repay the man for saving his life. However, once he learned of the atrocities of that place, he couldn't help but become committed to the cause. Even still, Shisui was oblivious about Hiroshi's motivations or the man's past, but he seemed like a good enough person. However, it was rather evident that Hiroshi was somehow connected to all of this, but every time he asked, his inquiries were expertly avoided.

Once Orphanage 8 literally went up in flames, their mission shifted from the uncovering of corruption to preventing the murders that began taking place throughout Fire Country. Shisui found one of the men responsible for the killings when he came across a man who wiped out an entire village, a man who at the present time called himself Daichi. Initially, he thought that Daichi was solely responsible for all of the murders, but eventually, he heard some murmurings in the criminal underground about a blonde-haired blue eyed child. Then after discovering that those who were killed all had some sort of connection to Orphanage 8 in the past, he decided that whoever initialized the uprising which resulted in the orphanage being destroyed, was also responsible for orchestrated the murders.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that this 'blonde kid' was probably a former resident of the orphanage. However, once he mentioned this information to Hiroshi, the man immediately identified the child as Naruto Uzumaki. Shisui's first response was shock since he recalled the day he met the young boy standing with Itachi at the Naka River. But when Hiroshi told him that Naruto was definitely responsible for all of the killings, Shisui decided that the child needed to be killed. So long as Naruto had his way, the entire world population would be eliminated, and he'd never let that happen.

"Has Kakashi-kun's conditioned changed?" Hiroshi asked, dragging Shisui from his thoughts.

"Apparently he is no longer at any risk of dying," Shisui answered. "But he won't be waking up anytime soon."

"I suppose there is some good news in that," Hiroshi said; however, he looked disappointed at the fact that Kakashi hadn't woken up yet. "Kakashi-kun likely learned the truth about Naruto, which resulted in his current state. Yet, I've known about that boy's true nature for a while, and here I still stand, alive and well. I suppose that is rather unfair, is it not?"

"Kakashi would have told the Hokage everything he knew," Shisui retorted. "Then Naruto would have been put into the bingo book, which would have made things difficult for him."

"Every time I sleep, I imagine that I will wake up to that boy looming over me," Hiroshi revealed, surprising Shisui at the suddenness of the statement. "I used to fear that it would be the last thing I'd see before I die. But with every day that goes by, I become less and less afraid of my inevitable fate. I have done many terrible things in my life, so I am deserving of death. However, I hope to right those wrongs before that time comes."

He looked into Shisui's eyes in utter seriousness, "I need to stop the monster that I helped create. My desire to stop Naruto doesn't center from a sense of justice. The boy is the way he is because of me, and now, he has become my responsibility."

 **~Break~**

Naruto could be seen standing, looming, on a balcony, high up from the ground below. He was calmly observing the hustle and bustle of the city below him when the door to his room was knocked on. He made no move to answer it, and the guest opened the door and approached him.

"Saza Taishio is dead," the figure said. "Apparently it was poison."

"How curious," Naruto commented in a beautiful voice.

"You tend to use poison a lot," the unidentified man accused. "You don't think it's suspicious that two days after you arrive in Yama no Sato, Saza-sama is dead?"

Naruto did not respond, and it only led the man to become even angrier. Naruto slowly turned to face his guest, who he immediately recognized as the man who escorted Sasuke to the tower, "Perhaps his death is on your hands," Naruto countered tonelessly. "You did vow to protect him with your life, after all."

The man lunged at Naruto, but he was quickly countered. With practiced ease, Naruto redirected his opponent midair, and the man went tumbling over the balcony, to his eventual death. Naruto's room in the tower was far too high up for him to hear his attacker's body hit the ground, but he was certain that the man was dead.

Soon his attention turned to a different matter. He couldn't blame Saza's lackey for thinking that he was responsible for the poisoning. However, the murder of Saza was not ordered by him. In fact, Saza was one of Naruto's subordinates, and the blonde Uzumaki was meant to meet with the crime boss after the meeting with Sasuke Uchiha ended. Saza's murder was clearly done in an attempt to interfere with Naruto's plans, and yet, the blonde Uzumaki was not at all upset. It seemed that for once, the monster, Naruto Uzumaki, was being hunted.

How exciting.

 **~End~**

 **I'll be posting a new story very soon. It won't interfere with the speed in which I update _The Monster Within Us All_ , but hopefully it will serve as another source of entertainment for you all. **


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**What are you looking for? There is no Truth. There's only action, action obeying a million different impulses, ephemeral action, action subjected to every possible and imaginable contingency and contradiction, Life. Life is crime, theft, jealousy, hunger, lies, disgust, stupidity, sickness, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, piles of corpses. what can you do about it, my poor friend? (Cendrars)**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Fourteen**

A knocking on her office window woke Tsunade from her nap. She quickly attempted to make herself looked dignified, but immediately relaxed once she realized it was Jiraiya. He looked the same as ever, but she couldn't help but notice the fact that he was alone. The expression of melancholy marring his face became evident the closer he got to her, and she became worried.

"Where is she, Jiraiya?" she asked in a worried tone. "I told you not to return until you found her."

"She's not coming back, Tsunade," Jiraiya clarified. He was sadder than she had ever seen him before. It was very uncharacteristic to see such a dejected expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "Did you find her?"

Jiraiya refused to make eye contact with his former teammate, which only served to unnerve her even more. The Toad Sage was renowned for his jolly and extroverted nature, so seeing him behave in such a way was terrifying, "I found her years ago," he said, shocking Tsunade so much that she couldn't formulate an immediate response. "When I tried to bring her back, she threatened me with violence. The Kyuubi's chakra began to leak out, and she entered a berserker-like state. We fought for a while, but eventually, I was hit with a near-fatal blow to the chest."

Upon explaining the story, he removed his shirt and showed the massive scar he received during the battle, "I woke up in a hospital a week later. Apparently, had they found me a second later than they did, I wouldn't have survived my injuries. After my recovery, I checked the summoning scroll and discovered that she removed her name, before leaving my bleeding body behind."

"So not only did she escape you, but now reverse summoning her is no longer an option?" Tsunade asked in an angry tone. "Damn it, Jiraiya, you should have contacted me sooner. I could have organized a second search party."

"There's no point, Tsunade," Jiraiya stated sadly. "Mito doesn't want to come back. She is a different person now, one completely controlled by her rage. She's not the same Mito that we grew to care for so much."

All that followed the sad statement was silence. Tsunade had always been able to maintain her youthful appearance, thus giving the illusion that she was a young woman; however, at this moment, she truly felt her age. Mito was the only reason she decided to become Hokage in the first place, and now it seemed that the young girl was in an extremely dark state of mind. The idea that the cheerful and kind redhead almost murdered Jiraiya in cold blood both shocked and saddened the Fifth Hokage to her core.

"I-I refuse to give up on her," Tsunade stammered. "There has to be something going on that we simply don't know about."

"Tsunade," Jiraiya said in an attempt to console her.

"No!" she shouted in rage, nearly crushing her desk with a closed fist. "I wasn't there to see how much she has changed, that much is true. However, I spent a good amount of quality time with her before she fled, and I know that no matter what, there will always be good inside her. If what you're saying is true, and she really has changed for the worst, then it is up to us to help her. So if you want to continue being a mopey ass pansy then so be it, but do it outside of my village."

Jiraiya's eyes were wide in shock, and Tsunade immediately regretted her words. She made to apologize but soon noticed her former teammate chuckling. Too shocked at his sudden change of mood, Tsunade just watched the bizarre sight, "You still have your legendary fury, that's for sure." he said while wiping a laugh induced tear from his eye. He composed himself and then looked at Tsunade with a sad smile, "I've never been called a mopey ass pansy, before, but I can't help but agree that it was an accurate observation on your part. You're right, Tsunade, I made a mistake in losing faith in Mito. After seeing the student who was so near and dear to me reject my help and then try to kill me, it drove me into a depression. I won't make that mistake again."

Before Tsunade could comment further Jiraiya continued, "When you do organize that second search party, I trust that you will make sure I am a part of it?"

She contemplated his words for a few moment's and couldn't help but smile as well, "Sure, you disgusting pervert. I'd be foolish not to utilize your abilities."

Predictably, Jiraiya hopped onto the window ledge, but before leaving, he looked towards Tsunade and spoke, "It seems that this time it was you that straightened me out. I suppose we're even now."

"Jiraiya," Tsunade called out before he was able to leave. He looked at her in confusion before she finally spoke, "If Mito truly wanted you dead, she would have killed you while you were unconscious. Did you ever wonder how exactly the local hospital was able to find you in the first place?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise, "Mito told them where to find me." It was a shocking realization, but one that made a lone tear flow down his cheek. Tsunade was right; there was still good in Mito's heart. Whether his apprentice went into their battle wanting to kill him or not, it seemed that she couldn't bring herself to do it. She even went as far to seek out medical attention for him.

The Gallant Jiraiya jumped back into the night without another sound and Tsunade couldn't help but lean back into her chair. It was obvious what Jiraiya meant about them now being even. After she spent decades drinking and gambling her sorrows away, it was Jiraiya that led the mission to bring her back home. This time, however, it was her he put him back on the right path. She looked at the portraits of the previous Hokage, and her gaze lingered particularly long on her the image of Sarutobi-sensei. She imagined he'd be proud of her saving Jiraiya from his despair. However, it was clear that her work wasn't done.

It was high time that she saved Mito Uzumaki.

 **~Break~**

He had been correct in his earlier assumption; the situation in Yama no Sato had quickly escalated to utter chaos. Everyone was accusing one another of poisoning Saza Taishio, and Team Hebi was trapped in the middle of it. After five days of pandemonium, the two remaining bosses of the city requested that Team Hebi meet with them once more. Upon arriving, Sasuke noticed that Amachi was present for the meeting as well. Mikami and Akiya remained calm, but Amachi was clearly still enraged at the fact that his boss had been killed. However, based on what Sasuke knew, he doubted Amachi was actually upset at all. The silence in the room was ended when someone finally spoke.

"I couldn't help but notice that Saza was the only person at the table who drank any of the alcohol," Mikami pointed out. "To be sure, I had the sake bottle tested for poison, and it came up positive. This new piece of information has significant implications."

"It means that whoever poisoned Saza-san, was attempting to poison all of you as well," a mystery voice commented from the entrance to the room.

"You," Sasuke said with narrowed eyes as he recognized the intruder as Daichi, the man he helped defeat during the Hokage retrieval mission."

Daichi turned to Sasuke with his typical lazy smile, "It's good to see you again, Uchiha-san," he said. "From what I've heard, we're both fellow criminals now."

"You can't trust this man," Sasuke warned Mikami. "He is a mass murderer, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were the one responsible for all of this."

"Who isn't a murderer these days?" Daichi casually asked before taking a seat at the table. "However, I assure you that I had nothing to do with the death of Saza-san. In fact, I would have much preferred for him to still be alive, seeing as though he is an associate of my boss."

"So, 'he' sent you here?" Mikami asked stoically, and Sasuke began to wonder exactly who 'he' was.

Daichi nodded in affirmative, and Mikami and Akiya seemed to relax a bit. It appeared that they actually welcomed Daichi's presence here, which led Sasuke to believe that they were allies. He probably shouldn't be surprised that a serial killer like Daichi and a criminal syndicate such as the one in Yama no Sato would be associated with one another. However, despite learning that Daichi wasn't particularly the enemy at the moment, Sasuke didn't let his guard down, even for a moment.

"Yep, my job is to clean this mess up, hopefully before things escalate any further," Daichi clarified. "Until I've finished my work, I recommend that you avoid eating any food without testing it for poison."

"Will do," Amiya stated sarcastically before standing up to leave. Her guards escorted her from the room, and Mikami followed soon after, leaving Daichi alone with Team Hebi and Amachi.

"Should I, by chance, be worried for my own safety?" he asked with a lazy smirk, an expression that disgusted Sasuke to no end. "You've been staring at me with your sharingan since I arrive."

Sasuke didn't respond and left the room with his team and Amachi following soon after. It seemed that even with his leader dead, Amachi was still honoring his duty of guarding them during their time in the city. Thankfully, it was evening, so the streets were a bit less occupied, and they were able to return to their hotel in relative silence.

"I couldn't help but notice that you knew that guy," Amachi said, apparently referring to Daichi. "You and he have a history?"

"He was my opponent once in battle, he's a very dangerous man who you should tread lightly around," Sasuke answered.

Amachi chuckled mirthlessly before looking into Sasuke's onyx eyes, "I think you'll find that everyone in this city is dangerous, Sasuke-san."

Eventually, Team Hebi finally reached their room, and since Amachi completed his duty by escorting them, he announced that he would be leaving them to their own devices. However, before leaving, he turned to Sasuke, "I recommend that you leave this place, Uchiha-san. Not to be rude, but this entire situation has nothing to do with you. You'll only interfere."

Sasuke gestured for the remainder of his team to go into the room without him before turning to face Amachi. His trained ears noticed an underlying threat in his escort's 'friendly' advice, making it clear that Amachi didn't want him here. It wasn't difficult why that was though. After they looked each other in the eyes for a few moments, Amachi gave a polite bow before walking in the opposite direction, towards the hotel exit.

"Are you worried about me interfering with your attempt to assassinate the remaining Bosses?" Sasuke asked stoically as his escort was walking away.

Amachi froze, and he slowly turned back towards Sasuke, with his eyes now narrowed due to the accusation, "Are you accusing me of poisoning Saza-sama?" he asked in a deadly tone.

"Yes," Sasuke answered before closing the door to his room, leaving him and Amachi alone in the hallway. "But to be more specific, I was also referring to your attempt to poison all of the Bosses, not just Saza."

Amachi sprung into action and tried to draw a kunai from his holster. However, he was forced to freeze when Sasuke's chokuto was stabbed in the wall, mere centimeters from his face. "You misunderstand, I couldn't care less about whether you succeed in you assassination attempt," Sasuke said. "The Bosses of this city are very much deserving of death, and if I planned on telling them that you were the culprit, I would have done so during the meeting today."

After coming to terms with the fact that he had been found out, Amachi became admirably calm, "How did you know?" he asked, apparently curious.

"When the food was brought it, I noticed you discreetly putting some poison into the sake," Sasuke said. "Like I said before, I couldn't care less if you succeeded or not. I only came here for information, not to make any friends. So the death of your boss is no skin off my nose. However, I am curious as to why you did it."

Amachi was silent for a few moments, perhaps because he was deciding whether or not to reveal the truth. Sasuke couldn't blame the young man for being cautious. It was clear that Amachi was involved in some sort of conspiracy to kill the three main crime bosses in the city. So frankly, Sasuke's curiosity was officially peaked.

"If you knew the things that I knew, you'd already be over there right now, killing them yourself," Amachi revealed through gritted teeth. "I was never a fan of their methods, but recently, when they formed the Syndicate, I realized that they were beyond redemption."

"How so?" Sasuke asked.

"The Bosses used to be normal criminal leaders, but ever since 'he' showed up, things have changed," Amachi began. "Our focus shifted from drug trafficking and arms dealing, to murdering seemingly innocent people. That blonde bastard would come to Saza-sama every few weeks with a list of names, and within a few days everyone who's name was on that dreaded piece of paper would be dead; without question! I had to kill the Bosses; otherwise, countless innocents would lose their lives."

As soon as Sasuke heard the mention of a blonde, the wheels began turning in his head. Sure there were millions of blondes in the world, but somehow, he had a feeling that Amachi was talking about Naruto, "Is this blonde around seventeen years old, with blue eyes and an eerily calm demeanor?" Sasuke asked, trying to confirm his theory. "Are you talking about Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yeah, that's him," Amachi practically spat. "Though I didn't know he had a name, I thought he was just the Devil in human form," it was clear that Amachi wasn't Naruto's biggest fan, "I can't tell you much about him since whenever he visited Saza-sama, he rarely spoke. He only ever brought those damned lists of the people he wanted killed. But what I do know, is that the man who visited us today, Daichi, works for him."

This new piece of information allowed Sasuke a new moment of clarity. Apparently, Itachi's message in the genjutsu was correct; Naruto Uzumaki truly was a monster. If Naruto was the one pulling the strings behind all of these murders, the past few years began to make some sense. Mito informed him that Naruto was once a resident of Orphanage 8, and Kakashi once told him that all the murders occurring throughout Fire Country involved the victims being formally associated with the previously mentioned orphanage. Naruto was responsible for the killings committed by the pirates during Sasuke's first C-Rank mission, and he was also to blame for the massive explosion that killed hundred of people in the port city. He was a merciless killer, just like Itachi. In fact, he may be even worse.

"Is he in the city now?" Sasuke asked, deadly serious.

"I'm not sure," Amachi answered. "I expected him to come in person, not send this Daichi fellow. Now all of my plans have been complicated."

Sasuke was a bit disappointed to learn that Naruto wasn't here since he desired to confront the blonde. However, seeing as Amachi said that the monstrous Uzumaki wasn't in the city, Sasuke felt there was no other reason to stay, "I wish I could help you, but I have my own business to attend to," Sasuke said. "My number one priority is to kill my brother, and with the information your former boss gave me, I now have a lead."

"I assume you'll be leaving now?" Amachi asked.

Sasuke nodded, "My team has already left through our hotel room window and have started traveling back to the gate. My original plan was to leave without you knowing, but seeing as you recommended earlier that I leave, I assume you won't get in the way of my departure."

"No, I see now that we are the same, Sasuke Uchiha," Amachi stated resolutely. "We both have those in our lives who deserve to die, and it is up to us to bring them to justice. In your case, it's your brother, and seeing as I know what it feels like to want justice, I couldn't possibly try to stop you from leaving the city. I'd be a hypocrite if I did."

Sasuke opened the door to his hotel room, which revealed that his team had, in fact, left during the conversation. He walked towards the now opened window at the other end of the room, but halted in his tracks before turning to Amachi and offering some final advice, "I recommend that you lay low for a while before you once again attempt to kill the remaining Bosses. So long as Daichi is in the city, you'll be at a high risk of being caught, and eventually, killed."

Amachi smiled before asking, "Would you wait to kill your brother if I asked you to?" And with that, he closed the hotel room door. Sasuke smirked at the truth behind Amachi's question before jumping out of the window and beginning the journey to meet up with his team at the gate. Perhaps, in his younger days, he would have stayed to help Amachi out. However, he had waited long enough over the past few years.

Before he concerned himself with anything else, he would kill his brother. Justice was long overdue.

 **~Break~**

Amachi was initially pretty unnerved that Sasuke had figured him out, but now that he and the Uchiha survivor were on the same page, he felt at ease. He was making the long trip back to his home, but he didn't mind the solitude. The past few days had been rather chaotic, so the silence of the night was actually very peaceful.

Being able to return home to his family was the only thing that made him happy anymore. After spending hours every day with the scumbags of the city, eating a meal with his mother and siblings was a welcomed experience. He knew that he was close to his destination when he smelled his mother's excellent cooking. The aroma brought a peaceful smile to his face, and for a moment, he forgot about the stress of his life and his vendetta against the Bosses.

He opened the door, expecting to see his mother and younger siblings sitting at the table, but was shocked at what he saw. His family was indeed sitting at the table, but it was the guest that they were joyfully talking to that caused him to feel utter terror.

"Amachi, I'm glad that you are home!" his mother greeted with excitement. "Your friend got here a bit earlier than you did. But don't worry, he wasn't any trouble at all. Why didn't you tell me that you had such polite friend?"

Before Amachi could warn his mother of the danger, the guest at the table stood up in greeting, "It is good to see you, Amachi-san," Naruto said politely. "I hope you don't mind my visit, but I heard such great things about your mother's cooking, and I couldn't help myself."

"Your friend is quite the charmer, sochi-kun," his mother commented. "Ever since he got here all he's done is make polite comment after polite comment; eventually it's going to make me blush."

"It's hard not to compliment you when you make it so easy, ma'am," Naruto said with a polite smile.

Amachi's mother ushered him to the table, and he was too horrified to even resist. He looked over at Naruto, who was sipping on a cup of tea with a serene expression on his face. Without anyone else noticing, Naruto set his cup down, and shifted his gaze until he was staring directly at Amachi with petrifying half lidded eyes. The look was so terrifying that it was beyond words, and at that moment, he believed that the Devil was sitting at his family's dinner table. He now feared for his their safety.

His mother finally brought the food to the table, and the group began eating in relative silence. Amachi noticed that his mother seemed incredibly happy to have a guest at her dinner table, and it only made him feel even worse. While watching Naruto eat, he noticed that the blonde teen's expression and body language revealed nothing, as if the flavor of the food he was eating had no effect on him. It wasn't surprising though since monsters like Naruto were incapable of enjoying anything, with the only exception being the pleasure they derived from other people's suffering.

"How do you know my brother," Amachi's little sister chirped to Naruto with childish innocence.

"Your brother and I are friends from work," Naruto answered with a beautiful smile. "You should be proud of him, as it has become apparent to me that he cares for all of you very dearly."

Was Naruto here to show Amachi that his family could be murdered at any moment? That had to be the reason behind his visit, and so far, the blonde Uzumaki's message was loud and clear. If Amachi were forced to choose between his vendetta against the Bosses and the safety of his family, the choice would be easy. Daichi must have discovered that he was the one responsible for the poisoning, which he most then informed Naruto of later.

The dinner went on for another thirty minutes, with Amachi's family making small talk with their guest. It was obvious that his mother was becoming annoyed with the fact that he hadn't said anything during the meal, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. For all he knew, any second now Naruto could stand up from his chair and kill his entire family with no mercy.

"You know Amachi-san," Naruto said once the meal was finally completed. "After spending this elegant evening with you and your family, it has made me think of a certain life lesson. Have you ever heard the phrase, 'you don't know how much you truly care about something until it is taken away'?"

His family wasn't able to deduce the underlying threat of Naruto's words, but Amachi understood it immediately, "However, after watching you, I can see that you already know just how much you care for your family," Naruto continued. "It is evident that there is nothing more important to you than them. With that being said, I hope that you all continue to live happily with one another."

Amachi's mother thanked Naruto for what she perceived to be a kind comment, and the blonde teen informed her that he had to leave. Naruto walked towards the front door, and Amachi followed behind him, thankful that the evilest person he ever met was now leaving his house. He followed his 'guest' outside and closed the door behind him. Now, it was just him and Naruto, alone.

"The message was clear," he said in between shaky breaths. "I'll stay out of your way from now on. Just please, don't hurt my family."

Naruto was facing the other direction, so Amachi was unable to see his face. For a moment, he thought that the blonde wasn't going to respond, but he soon heard a chilling voice. "When I was a child, I once read a story about a young man, who poked a Dragon while it was sleeping," Naruto said without turning around. "The Dragon woke up in a rage, and the young man ran back home in fear. However, the Dragon followed him, with vengeance in mind."

With every sentence of the bizarre story, Amachi was getting more and more unnerved, "After seeing the Dragon flying over his house, the young man soon became fearful for his family's safety, thinking that the Dragon was going to kill them as well. He charged outside with a sword in his hand and tried to fight the Dragon. However, he soon realized that even with his blade, he was too weak to fight such a powerful beast. He ran away in fear and noticed that the Dragon followed him, away from his family's home. The young man soon realized that the Dragon had no interest in killing his family and that it only wanted him dead, for waking it up from its nap." Naruto said before turning around with a polite smile. "With the desire to protect the ones he loved in his mind, the boy knew that so long as he lived, his family would never be safe from the Dragon. So, he did the only thing he could do."

"W-What did he do?" Amachi asked, but deep down, he already knew the answer.

Naruto didn't answer and stared directly into Amachi's eyes before finally turning around and walking away into the shadows of the night. With his entire body trembling in fear, Amachi walked back into his home and went straight to his room. For the next few hours, he laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling in contemplation. The story of the Young Man and the Dragon was still echoing through his head, and it prevented him from getting any sleep.

Amachi looked at his nightstand and saw his tanto underneath his lamp. It was placed there during the night in case someone tried to enter his room during the evening with dark intentions. As he focused on his blade, the story continued to bounce around in his mind, and he narrowed his eyes in determination. He shifted himself into a sitting position before reaching for the blade and removing it from its sheath.

As he stared at his reflection in the steel blade, Amachi realized that much like the young man from Naruto's story, his family would never be safe so long as he was alive. He had interfered in Naruto's plans and foolishly put his own family at risk, just as the young man in the story had endangered his family by poking the Dragon. The ending to the story of the Young Man and the Dragon was left purposefully vague and was likely open to interpretation. People probably had varying opinions regarding what choice the young man made in order to protect his family from the Dragon. However, to Amachi, it was as clear as day. Just as it was obvious what Naruto wanted him to do.

At the end of the story, the young man likely plunged his sword through his chest, and with that, his family was then safe from the threat of the Dragon. Amachi clenched his eyes shut, as tears threatened to burst out at any moment, but he eventually managed to compose himself. He had to do this. With that in mind, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his tanto and with a single thrust, stabbed himself in the chest. The pain was very brief, and he was thankful for the fact that he wouldn't suffer.

In his final moments, he was happy that with his death, the threat to his family would now be over. He closed his eyes and took his last breath. In the end, he was never able to achieve justice against the Bosses. However, the lives of his family would always be more important than vengeance.

And with that, he died.

 **~Break~**

With every step, Mito got closer and closer to Sunagakure. She remembered during the Chunin Exams that Gaara claimed to have spoken to a monster and that the monster had ordered him to kill Sasuke. To Mito, it was evident that Naruto had requested for Gaara to kill the Last Uchiha. With that thought in mind, she figured that the Suna Jinchuuriki may be able to offer her some information about her brother.

In the best case scenario, Gaara could possibly know where Naruto currently was, but she doubted that. Her brother wasn't the type to reveal anything about himself to anyone, so the idea of him telling Gaara where he could be found was preposterous. However, after four years of searching, she didn't have any more leads so she would have to work with this.

She saw the walls of Suna a few miles ahead and was grateful for the opportunity to get out of the harsh temperature of the desert. But before she could advance any further, a small clay bird flew next to her face before it exploded. It was unclear whether or not she escaped the blast, but then two figures approached the explosion with a calmness that could only be attributed to the most experienced of warriors. They both wore high-collared black cloaks with red clouds and had straw hats hiding their faces. One was of average height, with some blonde hair visible beneath his straw hat. The other appeared to be a hunchbacked individual, and his facial features were entirely impossible to see.

"Deidara," the hunchbacked man growled in a grave voice. "You better not have killed the jinchuuriki."

"No need to worry, Sasori no Danna," Deidara retorted in a laid back tone. "This is the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. If she could be killed by such a small blast, I'd be disappointed."

Red chakra soon flooded the area, and Mito was revealed to be alive and well. Her teeth and nails were both elongated, and her eyes were blood red. It was an intimidating sight, but the two Akatsuki members weren't even mildly intimidated. They weren't S-Rank shinobi for nothing.

"I'll capture the prize, you can just sit back and watch," Deidara said to his partner before removing his straw hat and stuffing his hands into his bags of clay. "I'll take care of this with a bang."

"Just don't keep me waiting," Sasori warned before the battle ensued.

Deidara tossed three clay birds from his hands, and they flew at Mito at impressive speeds. The Kyuubi jinchuuriki charged at her opponent and didn't bother to dodge the attack. The explosion was large than the last one and Mito immediately darted out of the dust and towards her enemy, revealing that she hadn't been damaged.

"It seems that C-1 it too weak," Deidara observed. "If I want to capture the jinchuuriki, then C-2 is my best bet."

The strange mouths on the palms of his hands chewed up a large quantity of clay from his pouches, after which he clenched his hands together. When he opened them, it was revealed that he created a miniature clay dragon. He was forced to dodge as a red chakra hand attempted to remove his head from his shoulders and as he leaped upward he tossed his creation into the air, and it was engulfed in smoke. Shockingly, a massive clay dragon appeared out of the smoke and caught Deidara on it's back.

Even with the Kyuubi's chakra influencing her mind, Mito was smart enough to pause her assault in order to observe this new threat. The thing was huge, and she imagined that if it were capable of exploding like the clay birds from earlier, it would be dangerous.

Suddenly, the dragon's tail shortened and then a large clay creature was launched out its mouth, directly towards her. She managed to dodge at the last moment, but she still felt the force of the explosion next to her. These bombs were much stronger than the ones her opponent was using earlier.

She narrowed her eyes when a much larger clay creation was shot from the dragon's mouth directly towards her, and she made to dodge again. However, she found herself unable to move as several chakra strings held her in place. The bomb hit her dead on before exploding. To make sure she was defeated, Deidara jumped off of his dragon, and it flew towards Mito as well. Once it made contact with the already wounded Mito, it erupted in a grand explosion, and Deidara assumed that the battle was over.

He looked towards his partner, "I didn't need your help, Sasori no Danna!" he complained. "I was going to beat her eventually."

"You were making me wait," Sasori countered before beginning the slow walk towards their prize.

The dust and smoke from the explosion cleared and Mito was lying on her stomach, with the Kyuubi's chakra still bubbling around her form. Her chakra cloak now had three tails, and the pair of Akatsuki members halted in their tracks as they saw a fourth tail begins to form.

Mito immediately regained consciousness and clenched her head in pain. Deidara raised his brow as he saw the redheaded girl's skin start to peel from her body. Blood rose from her flesh and mixed with the Kyuubi's chakra, surrounding her in a black sphere. Now that the battle appeared to just be getting started, Deidara created a clay bird, large enough for carrying him on its back, and flew into the air.

The black sphere of bloody chakra faded away, and a monstrous creature was in place of the redheaded Uzumaki teen. It looked like a mini-Kyuubi, but it was clearly just a layer of dark red, nearly black, chakra clinging to Mito's body. None of her features were visible, and for a moment, her two opponents wondered if it was even her anymore.

However, the surrounding area soon shook as the Kyuubi enhanced Mito roared loudly. The battle would only get more chaotic from here.

 **~End~**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**To fear death, my friends, is only to think ourselves wise, without being wise: for it is to think that we know what we do not know. For anything that men can tell, death may be the greatest good that can happen to them: but they fear it as if they knew quite well that it was the greatest of evils. And what is this but that shameful ignorance of thinking that we know what we do not know? (Socrates)**

 **The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Fifteen**

 _They were at the park, just like every Friday afternoon. Usually, she'd be playing with Sakura and Ino, but they weren't here, so she was sitting with her brother. Mito was playing with a doll that orphanage matron, Nonō Yakushi, had given her as a birthday present. Nonō-san was so nice, and Mito viewed her as the mother she never had._

 _She looked over towards Naruto and saw that he was staring up at the sky with no particular expression on his face. He was always like this now, ever since the strange man had started visiting the orphanage, always reading those weird books to them. It had been so long since she had seen her big bro smile, and it made her sad. It was almost as if he didn't enjoy anything anymore._

" _Big bro?" she asked tentatively. "What are you doing?"_

" _Look up at the sky and tell me what you see, Mito," her brother said, ignoring her question._

 _She looked up as instructed and saw the beautiful blue sky and the fluffy white clouds. Mito didn't really know what it was that her brother wanted her to look for, but to her, it just seemed like the same old sky that she saw every day. She smiled when she noticed that one of the clouds liked like a big Hippo, and that another one looked like a flower._

" _I see the sky, and a Hippo cloud!" she answered in between giggles._

" _I see the entire world," Naruto said, surprising his sister. "A world that belongs to you."_

" _R-Really?" she asked. "The world is mine?"_

" _Yes," Naruto clarified simply. "Everything that exists is yours."_

" _But why?" she asked, eyes widened in innocence._

 _Then her brother swiveled his head towards her and gave her a childlike smile before chuckling lightly, "Because I said so."_

Mito opened her eyes to see that she was no floating in her mindscape. She could hear the slight echoes of a battle outside of her mind, which told her that the Kyuubi had likely retaken control of her body. Whenever that happened, none of her opponents ever survived. Usually, she'd despise being in such a state, but without the power of the cursed beast inside of her, she'd never be able to defeat Naruto. Her brother was, in her opinion, more dangerous than even the legendary Bijuu.

He couldn't destroy entire mountains like the Bijuu, but he could ruin a person's humanity. Naruto showed a person who they truly were, and his victims were often so disgusted with what they saw, that they would take their lives. Mito was unsure whether Naruto desired for her to die in such a way or not, but it certainly seemed as if he enjoyed making her suffer. He was most certainly the devil; however, if she was the sister of the devil, what did that make her?

How far was she from becoming like Naruto? How far was anyone?

 **~Break~**

Shisui was leaping through the trees of Grass Country at blinding speeds. A few hours ago, he had been greeted with a sight he had not seen in years. He awoke to a crow pecking his side, a crow he immediately recognized as one of Itachi's summons. He had meant to meet up once more with his oldest friend, but it was clear that Itachi must have been undergoing so sort of secret mission, otherwise he would have never joined a group like the Akatsuki.

After following the crow for what felt like an eternity, he realized that there was only one place of significance in the direction he was being led. It was Yama no Sato; essentially, the capital of scum in a world full of emotionless killers.

"Jeez," he muttered to himself as he saw the village on the horizon. "Of course Itachi wouldn't want to just meet in a tea shop or something."

"I figured that you'd find a tea shop rather bland, Shisui," a voice he recognized spoke up from behind him, catching him off guard.

Shisui turned over his shoulder with enough speed to give an ordinary person whiplash. Itachi looked more or less the same, though it was clear that he was no longer a young teenage boy, as he was now a young man. The Akatsuki cloak made him look incredibly intimidating, but Shisui knew what kind of a person his friend truly was, so he was not at all worried. When he saw the small smile grace his childhood friend's face, he realized that he hadn't really changed at all.

Shisui was about to embrace his old friend, but then the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and his instincts screamed that something was wrong. He turned towards Itachi, and saw the younger man's Sharingan had been activated, showing that he had felt it too, "This is why I reached out to you, Shisui," Itachi informed through narrowed eyes. "I think we both know what the source of that feeling is. He is here, in the city."

A frown graced Shisui's face as he contemplated the implications of Itachi's words. There was only one person capable of making shivers run up his spine, and it was the very person he had vowed to kill long ago. It wasn't surprising that Naruto was apparently also on Itachi's radar, since the Uchiha missing-nin was always aware of any threats to Konoha. However, Naruto wasn't just a danger to Konoha, and the entire world wouldn't be safe until he was finally dead.

"My time will be coming to an end soon, Shisui," Itachi suddenly said, cryptically. "Soon, I will be face to face with Sasuke, and I need to know that things will remain stable after I am gone."

Shisui narrowed his eyes, "You're planning on dying at Sasuke's hand, aren't you?"

His question was never answered, as Itachi jumped forward in the direction of the city. Shisui shook his head in annoyance before following soon after. The continued leaping through the trees until Itachi suddenly veered to the right, toward the woods located to the right of Yama no Sato. The closer and closer the got, the more Shisui's heart pounded in his chest. The presence he immediately recognized as Naruto's was deep in the forest, immobile and seemingly awaiting their arrival. This would be it, the climax, the end to the struggle. Naruto would die, here and now.

Finally, they arrived at their destination, landing softly on the ground, in front of a large lake. Sitting at the edge of the lake, looking relaxed as ever was Naruto. He seemed to be looking up at the sky, basking in the sun's rays with his eyes closed. He was still, like a statue, and he made no move to react to their arrival. The first thing Shisui noticed was that Naruto had clearly done some growing up since the last time they met. He was as beautiful as ever, but he looked much older, quite unlike the child he once was.

"You have grown, Naruto-kun," Itachi commented stoically commented, breaking the deathly silence.

Naruto turned over his shoulder and smiled, "As have you, Itachi-san. Though, it is clear that something ails you. You reek of pain and misery. You are not far from death's embrace."

Shisui was getting a bit unnerved. Naruto felt entirely different than he did four years ago, even if the change was subtle. In the past, there was always an air of curiosity surrounding him, which was probably his only human trait. However, now he had the look of a person who had all the answers. There was an almost omniscient gleam to his eyes, the like of which he had never seen, and when those cerulean blue eyes began to glow in a manner he was familiar with, he prepared for battle. Yet, an attack never came. Naruto rose from his seated position and turned to face them, looking completely emotionless, with even his serene smile missing from his face. It was then that he spoke, in his smooth, yet utterly chilling voice.

"You fight and you fight, all with the intention of preserving life, whether it be your own or those of the people you hold close to your hearts," he said, causing the two Uchiha's to narrow their eyes. "The world was full of violence and bloodshed long before any of us lived, it remains that way now, and will never change. In this universe of ours, so vast and beyond our understanding, the existence of a human life is insignificant, to the point where the birth of a new life only marks the beginning of another brief and meaningless existence. Death is the only ultimate force in the universe. It affects all: the rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, everything and everyone. Death is the only certainty there is….so why live?"

At that moment, Shisui truly felt sorry for Naruto. It was clear that past experiences had molded him into the monster that he was today, and there was little doubt that his existence was miserable. Had Naruto been nurtured with love and affection, as all children should be, it was incredibly likely that he would have never become something so horrible. In fact, with his incredible mind, talent, and charisma, he could have been the person to lead the world into peace. Now, he stood as the pinnacle of what most would consider evil.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Itachi said while his eyes shifted into his Mangekyo Sharingan. "It is clear that your mind has been poisoned beyond help."

And with that, the clash began quicker than an ordinary human eye could track. Itachi was surprisingly aggressive, attempting to plunge a kunai into Naruto's chest, only for his wrist to be caught at the last second. He then contorted his body mid-air, preparing to deliver a downward kick to Naruto's head. The attack was avoided, as Naruto relinquished his hold of Itachi's wrist and jumped back, creating distance while landing atop the lake.

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu," uttered Shisui after he formed the tiger hand seal, signaling his entrance into the fight.

Naruto didn't seem all too afraid of the attack, and surprisingly made no move to counter it. However, once it came within arms reach of his, he extended his right hand, and shockingly, the fireball began to decrease in size. It didn't take Itachi and Shisui long to realize that he was absorbing the jutsu.

"Is there anything this kid can't do?" Shisui asked, somewhat in jest. It made Itachi smile for the first time in what felt like years. Even in a life or death situation, Shisui was still Shisui.

"Perhaps nothing is beyond his abilities; however, before we lose hope, I suggest we try something different," Itachi chimed in, just as Naruto finished absorbing the jutsu. "Follow my lead."

It was then, that Itachi's eye bled, and immediately after, black flames engulfed their target, who predictably began absorbing the jutsu, "Now, Shisui," was all Itachi said.

Years of fighting alongside his old friend allowed him to pretty quickly understand what he was strategizing. By covering Naruto in the inextinguishable flames of the Amaterasu, he would be learning two things. First, if Naruto was actually capable of absorbing such a jutsu, which he clearly was. And second, the answer to the question Shisui was about to discover just now. He then launched a group of fireballs at their opponent. As they'd hoped, while still absorbing the Amaterasu, Naruto dodged Shisui's attack, confirming what Itachi hoped would be true.

"It seems that you are still a novice when it comes to absorbing jutsu. You can't absorb more than one at a time," Shisui mocked. "And just as I was beginning to think that you were going to present a challenge."

Naruto seemed unaffected by the insult, and once the black flames were now fully absorbed, he spoke, his face wholly absent of any emotion, almost as if he was a puppet or a doll, "Yes, but I am merely at the beginning of my evolution," he explained, his voice absent of the usual faux politeness, coming out as completely and utterly, inhumanly toneless. "It will take more time before I am strong enough to set things into motion."

Itachi, hoping to get some answers, inquired about said motion putting, "And what exactly are you planning, Naruto-kun?"

"Enough trying to speak with him," Shisui interrupted before Naruto could be given the opportunity to answer; though he probably would have ignored the question altogether anyway. "If we kill the little bastard, it won't matter what his plan was, will it?"

As if to agree that the time for conversation was over, Naruto clapped his hands together, and behind him, two giant water dragons rose from the water, each intent on killing the two Uchiha standing by the lakeside. Not ones to be killed easily, they were both able to dodge the attacks expertly, with Shisui using his infamous shunshin, and Itachi using skill and dexterity. Shisui, deciding to move things further along, appeared directly behind the blonde Uzumaki; however, his initial taijutsu attack was blocked, resulting in a stalemated struggle of hand-to-hand combat between the two.

Shisui realized things were different than they were when he and Naruto fought four-years-ago. Back then, Naruto was too small and young to contend with him directly, so he hid in the shadows, using long-range jutsu to put him on his heels. Now, however, he had grown, and was thoroughly capable of going toe to toe with him when it came to taijutsu combat. It was, as Shisui observed, one more of his past advantages being thrown out the window. How was he supposed to beat this kid?

He was soon reminded why he still had a fighting chance, when Itachi rose from the water between them, grabbing Naruto in a vice grip. Shisui was confused at first, but when he felt the chakra inside Itachi begin to become volatile, he knew what his friend was doing. He jumped back as the lake was engulfed in a massive explosion, landing next to Itachi as they watching the result of his shadow clone trap.

"Think he's dead?"

"Of course not."

 **~Break~**

Mito was wading through the water in the sewers that made up her mindscape. Normally, it would be pretty easy for her to identify the Kyuubi's presence, but for once, she couldn't feel anything at all. Everything felt real, to the point that she realized she wasn't in one of her infamous dreams, which only served to make her even more confused. However, her previous bewilderment would be immediately surpassed when she found herself standing in a completely different scene altogether.

 _It was one very familiar to her, one she encountered a great many times during her dreams. She had just witnessed something horrible, something beyond words. In front of her, lay dozens upon dozens of dead corpses, all of which had been killed right before her eyes. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to speak as the killer stood before her, a man she recognized very well. He was the man who always read books to her and Naruto at the orphanage, old man Hiroshi._

 _He was wielding a bloody weapon in his hand, but when he noticed her standing in the corner, whimpering in terror, he immediately, remembering she was still in the room, dropped the sword and made to approach her. However, she was afraid, and flinched away from him, with only the wall at her back preventing her from running away._

 _She had been kidnapped several weeks ago by old man Hiroshi, and put in a pitch black room, only seeing the light when she was fed three times a day. Eventually, she was allowed out of her padded cell, and was brought into the room she was currently standing in. It was filled with people, all of which were seemingly waiting for her. They observed her with interest, and many commented on 'the project being a success' and how 'she was their ultimate accomplishment' or whatever that meant. Hiroshi was standing near the back of the room, watching the celebration take place, but once everyone arrived, and the doors to the room closed, it was when he got to work killing everyone. Now, she feared for her life as he attempted to speak to her, as if he hadn't just killed over fifty people right before her eyes._

" _Do not fear child, the violence is now over," Hiroshi said, kneeling before her. "I need you to come with me. So I can protect you."_

" _N-No!" Mito shouted. "You're the one that made big bro act funny! It was your stories that made it so he doesn't smile anymore! He used to be my best friend, but now it feels like I don't know him. It's your fault! You're a monster and I hate you!"_

 _She attempted to run, but then Hiroshi gripped her right arm tightly, begging for her to listen so that he could explain. However, she was too persistent, and managed to escape; yet, in doing so, her arm was scratched by his hand, leaving cuts clearly left behind fingernails. He didn't make any effort to chase her, but as she fled the building, he shouted one last thing, something that would unknowingly affect the future of the entire world._

" _You and your brother are beautiful gems, both of you. And that is why you must never become monsters!"_

 _At the time, his declaration meant little, so she ignored it in favor of running. She ran and she ran, away from the mysterious building and through the woods of Konoha. It took a while, but eventually, she made it back to the village, though it was late, so nobody was around to help her. Not that it mattered though, since her brother was always available to help her, no matter the time or day._

 _Mito looked down at her right arm and saw the nail marks and winced as she saw the evidence of old man Hiroshi trying to stop her against her will. As she passed one of the shops, she saw her reflection in the window and noticed that her tiny five-year-old body was littered with small cuts, likely from running away through the woods. She then gazed at the Hokage Stone Faces and felt herself calm down a little bit. Much like she did with her brother, she always felt as though those stone carvings were looking out for her._

 _She continued walking for several minutes, and she finally made it towards the outskirts of the village, which was where her destination was located. As she walked through the trees, she felt spooked by all the shadows and hoped that there weren't any monsters lurking about._

 _Finally, she reached the orphanage and hoped that her brother hadn't gone to sleep like the rest of the children. However, she knew that he would wait for her forever if that were what it took. As she approached the door, she could almost feel the fear leaving her body. Her big bro would be here, and he'd take care of her. She opened the door and gave a greeting._

 _"I'm home," she said, hoping not to startle her brother in case he wasn't prepared for her arrival._

 _However, standing before her was not her brother, but a perfect copy of herself. "Welcome home," the figure said._

 _She was completely unsurprised to see what seemed to be a clone standing before her, and the two walked toward each other, before sitting down on the floor. Upon looking at the girl sitting across from her, Mito couldn't help but notice a few subtle differences that only she would be able to discern. First of all, the girl was a bit paler than Mito, and her eyes were different, hiding a level of intelligence beyond their years. But most of all, the main difference between Mito and the girl who looked just like her, was that the other 'girl' wasn't a girl at all._

 _The 'girl' reached her hands toward her head, and grabbed her red hair, before pulling it off, revealing it to have been a wig. After doing so, it became apparent that it was her big brother, Naruto, who had been in disguise as his sister. For the longest time, the matron, Nono Yakushi, wanted to hide the existence of Naruto from Danzo and Root. Therefore, Naruto and Mito would only ever be allowed out of the orphanage at separate times, and whenever it was Naruto's turn, he'd be forced dress exactly like his sister, assuming her identity so that Danzo's men wouldn't learn where he was located. After a while, Nono began to make him wear the disguise more frequently, until it was always, even while he was in the safety of the orphanage, and had him sleep alone in a secure room. For all Root knew, Naruto and Mito had been separated at birth, and so far, it had kept the boy safe from their clutches, but only for now._

 _Naruto looked at her, clearly curious about what had happened to her, "Tell me everything," he asked._

 _And she did, she explained everything that happened during her short-term imprisonment. However, she forgot to mention one crucial detail, one that would affect the way Naruto would develop as a human being as he grew up. She forgot to mention the very last things Hiroshi said to her before she fled._

 _You and your brother are beautiful gems, both of you. And that is why you must never become monsters!_

Mito's eyes widened in shock as she was thrust out of the memory. She collapsed to her knees, breathing a large breath as she attempted to regain her bearings. Just now, so many of her questions had been answered. All the dreams she had been plagued with in the past, were from that day of her childhood, and now she was able to see them all from start to finish. However, while initially she thought regaining her memories would make her happier, she didn't feel any different.

In the end, Naruto became exactly what old man Hiroshi was trying to warn her about. Despite how much she hated him, he was correct. Being able to look at the bigger picture, it was clear that the people who Hiroshi killed at the party were probably his colleagues, the only people in Konoha who knew about the experiments being performed on Naruto and Mito. Therefore, by killing them in that single room, he was trying to make up for his past mistakes, by eliminating all those who knew the truth about them, in the hopes of allowing them to live normal lives. However, he never accounted for the fact that Naruto was already too far gone, with the time he spent in Orphanage 8 later on in his life finishing his transition into the monster he was today.

"It seems that you have finally remembered what you had once forgotten," a voice she recognized suddenly boomed in front of her. As she looked up, she found herself standing before the cage door of the Kyuubi. His mighty form towered over her behind the bars, and his sharp fangs and red eyes glistened in the darkness.

"K-Kyuubi?" was all she could manage to ask in her shocked stupor.

 **~Break~**

The lake practically exploded from the force of the battle. No longer was it a standard engagement between shinobi, as it was now more akin to a conflict of gods. In the center of the lake, there stood a hulking orange etherial deity. It resembled a long-nosed tengu, but it wasn't a living entity, but rather an avatar that fought on its user's behalf. It was called the Susanoo, a jutsu that could only be utilized by someone who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan in both eyes. This one belonged to Itachi Uchiha, who stood inside of its ethereal form, clearly feeling the pain of its usage. Every cell in his body felt like they were on fire, but he still continued onward; otherwise, they'd surely lose.

Standing right next to the Susanoo was Shisui, whose clothing was singed, hair was disheveled, and body was littered with cuts. Due to Itachi's illness, he took on a supportive role while Shisui did more of the direct fighting. It resulted in his old friend taking the majority of the damage, but thankfully, he hadn't sustained any significant injuries. However, they'd need to end this soon, since it was apparent that battle of attrition against Naruto wouldn't go in their favor. The kid had astounding chakra reserves, an equally impressive healing factor, and not to mention his arsenal of lethal jutsu.

"This kid is a huge pain in the ass," Shisui commented after inhaling a deep breath. "And people used to call us geniuses."

Itachi nodded in agreement, his humbleness allowing him to acknowledge a superior opponent, "Yes, he is indeed special. But admiring him won't help us. We need to discover a weakness before I lose the ability to sustain my jutsu."

Eventually, the turbulent water settled down, and their opponent was in full view once more, simply standing in the distance. Shisui couldn't help but notice that Naruto's fighting style had changed completely since they last fought. Back in the day, he was young and small, and needed to take advantage of any opportunities presented to him if he wanted to win. Now, he didn't use stealth, or 'cheat' as some would say. He stood in plain sight at all times and allowed his opponents ample opportunity to recover and formulate strategies. Such was his arrogance.

Shisui, realizing how dire their situation was becoming, decided that he'd need to use one of his new trump cards. Looking back toward Itachi, he made extended eye contact with his friend, allowing him to communicate his plan via an advanced genjutsu. He would create an opportunity for Itachi to land an attack that Naruto wouldn't be able to absorb.

After hearing the message, Itachi nodded, and his Susanoo raised one of its hands, summoning the Yasaka Magatama in its palm, a long-range jutsu that exploded on impact. The Yasaka Magatama took the form of three magatama bound together by a single, circular thread that were created from the Susanoo's hand, which Itachi would then propel toward his target as a single combined projectile. The speed of the attack and explosion would prove too fast for Naruto to absorb at his current level, especially with Shisui clearing the way.

"This could be it, Itachi," Shisui spoke up as they both prepared for what would be their last ditch effort. "If it is, I was honored to know you, my best friend."

Itachi merely nodded, with a rare smile, "It has been an honor fighting with you."

Shisui then turned his attention back toward his enemy, glared and shouted, "This is the end, Naruto!"

In response, Naruto merely closed his eyes and smiled his classic angelic smile, before opening his eyes and looking up at the sky. It was cloudy and dreary looking now, and he was confident that it would rain any moment now. It was a fitting setting for a battle.

"What exactly is the end?" he asked to no one in particular, with a slight head tilt. "The end. The end. The end. I've seen the end over and over. What is the end?"

Shisui' only response was to growl in anger before vanishing in a flash of sheer speed. In a cinematic way, as soon as they launched their final plan, the skies began to weep. Naruto, still looking up at the clouds, despite the rainfall, shifted his head just in time to dodge a fire encased hand that almost impaled his skull. He then expertly avoided two attacks of a similar variety, absentmindedly noticing that Shisui was now putting caution to the wind, even more so than he usually did. It made sense, since this was his final stand, so Naruto continued to weave through his opponent's attacks while waiting for an opening to counter.

Shisui, on the other hand, felt his chakra slowly being depleted. He was putting quite a bit of concentration on his current jutsu, encasing his hands in fire, in a bastardized version of Kakashi Hatake's signature jutsu. It wasn't nearly as lethal, but it was more deadly than an ordinary punch, so he'd take. He also got to work laying a subtle genjutsu, to make Naruto lose focus of what Itachi was doing. A powerful genjutsu would almost always be noticed by a mighty opponent, but it was the unnoticeable, lower rank ones that tended to get past their senses. It was like using a pebble to destroy a mountain, but hey, if it worked it worked.

Then, out of nowhere, it happened in an instant, but to those involved, it felt as if time had slowed to a crawl. Naruto twisted his body to avoid one of Shisui's attacks, and just as quickly plunged his blade into the Uchiha warrior's chest. He would have been disappointed if he was a normal person capable of human emotions. It seemed that Shisui had planned to distract him while Itachi prepared to finish him off, or perhaps seal him. However, the difference in their skill was apparent, and like all the plans others had used to kill Naruto in the past, it failed.

He then turned and prepared to finish Itachi off as well, but suddenly felt his arm in a vice grip. He had yet to pull his sword from Shisui's body, and the Uchiha took hold of his sword arm, actually pulling the blade deeper into his chest. At that moment, Naruto realized their strategy and smiled politely, "Ah, I see. Well done, Shisui-san," he complimented, unaffected by his predicament.

Shisui only smiled cockily, with blood trickling out of his mouth, and squeezed even tighter so that his opponent had no hope of escape, "THIS, is the end, motherfucker," he explained, answering Naruto's earlier question. "For both of us."

In the distance, Itachi noticed that Shisui had gotten hold of Naruto, and took it as his chance to command his Susanoo to throw the Yasaka Magatama, and they approached their target at breakneck speed. Shisui, who was already prepared for what was going to happen, closed his eyes in acceptance. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed incredibly relaxed, and made no move to dodge, seemingly coming to terms with his fate.

The attack hit them with a thunderous roar, creating an explosion that could have been felt from miles upon miles away. Itachi, realizing the fight was now over, dispelled his Susanoo, and collapsed onto his knees from the pain. He coughed up a little bit of blood, but all in all, he would probably be alright. Currently, his body still had one good fight left in it, so he'd still be able to have his showdown with Sasuke after all; now with no loose ends left behind after his death.

Finally recovering, Itachi managed to stand back up on shaky legs. He panned over the battlefield and noticed that most of the nearby environment had been ravaged. The heat from the explosion had created a slight cloud of mist in the distance, though it was fading in the breeze with every second. It was then that Itachi saw the shadow of a figure approaching him from the mist. With great soreness and effort, he managed to arm himself with a kunai and get in a defensive stance. Had Naruto survived their attack?

However, he was shocked when he saw Shisui appear, looking as if he hadn't taken any damage from the explosion. At first, he thought it was an illusion being used to trick him; however, when he saw his friend's eyes, he knew that it was him. Shisui's left eye had turned almost milky white, while his still remaining Sharingan eye remained the same. A side effect of using a particular forbidden Sharingan genjutsu.

"You used Izanagi?" Itachi asked, relaxing his stance, inwardly happy that his friend had managed to survive.

Shisui nodded with a cheeky grin before scratching the back of his head, "Yep, sorry I didn't tell you about my whole plan, but the whole self-sacrifice thing felt pretty cool, so I decided to milk that for a bit."

Itachi, merely happy that his friend was alive in the first place, couldn't even bring himself to get mad, "You'll never change," he commented, his voice laced with exhaustion.

Shisui was about to respond, but then a particularly powerful gust of wind blew away the remainder of the mist, allowing him to see further into the distance. It wasn't long before Itachi saw it as well, and they both looked upon the corpse of Naruto with a bit of pity. The younger boy had been launched back by the explosion, causing him to be rocketed into the nearby rocks. His upper body had penetrated the solid stone, with only his lower body protruding from the cliffside His legs were mangled, and bent at extreme angles.

"He's dead," Itachi informed, able to see the absence of chakra in the body with his Sharingan. He and Shisui finally deactivated their Sharingan eyes, finally relaxing.

"Phew..." Shisui responded casually. "Glad that's over with." He turned toward Itachi and looked as if he was about to speak further.

Suddenly, the calmness was interrupted when the stillness of the water was disrupted. Itachi could only watch in silence as a blade came out of the water, being held by a bleeding arm. The weapon met its target, and for the second time today, Shisui was impaled with a sword, though this time from behind. Before Itachi could move to help him, Naruto rose from the water entirely, and with his left hand, he mercilessly ripped Shisui's right eye out, preventing a second use of Izanagi.

Itachi's body was then wracked with severe pain from his mysterious illness, causing him to collapse into a coughing fit once more. While he began coughing blood into his hand, he looked up at the rocks and saw what they had thought was Naruto's corpse. He now saw the legs of a dispelled wood clone. He cursed himself as he realized Naruto had placed it there so that they would let their guard down. It worked, and now Shisui had paid the price, and Itachi was all but defeated as well.

He saw Shisui collapse face first into the water and watched as the water around his old friend became murky with blood. His body was void of any movement, and Itachi was quick to realize that Shisui was dead, this time for good. His vision became blurry as he realized that his eyesight was on the brink of leaving him forever. Overuse of his Mangekyo had been the cause, the curse of the power of the Uchiha Clan. With what vision he had left, he looked up toward Naruto, and saw that the younger boy hadn't come out unscathed. The blonde's body was covered with lacerations and burns, and his entire right sleeve of his kimono shirt was missing. His face was once again absent of any emotion, and his eyes were wide and unblinking. He didn't move an inch for several moments, looking like a puppet whose strings had been severed. He then slowly shifted his body until he was facing Itachi's direction, and began to slowly approach him.

Itachi felt no fear whatsoever, only regret that he wouldn't be able to see Sasuke once again. His mind then thought of all the great moments of his past, the time he spent with his family as a child, the day he met Shisui, and the times he would walk his little brother too and from the Academy. It was then that he realized that now wasn't the time to just lay down and die, so, despite his body screaming at him to stop moving, he brought himself to a standing position once again, kunai in hand.

Naruto was still slowly toward him, with the tip of his sword dragging behind him, leaving a trail in the water's surface in his wake. Further back, Shisui's body began to finally begin sinking to the bottom of the lake, causing Itachi's determination to increase tenfold. His Sharingan activate once again, and as Naruto came into arms reach, he prepared to defend himself. He still needed to see Sasuke one more time before he died. He needed to prepare his brother to deal with the dangers of the world, a world that created a person like Naruto in the first place.

However, surprisingly, no conflict took place, as Naruto merely walked past him as if he wasn't there, ever so slightly brushing shoulders with him along the way. It hadn't been what he expected, and he stood in place for several minutes until he felt that Naruto had finally vanished in the treeline behind him. He deactivated his Sharingan for what felt like the tenth time today, and allowed himself to fully collapse onto his back. He felt his body float on the water as he stared up at the stormy sky. Rainy was landing on his face, occasionally hitting him directly in the eyes, but he didn't flinch. Pain and discomfort had become the norm for him lately.

For a few more minutes he remained in place, allowing his deteriorating body the rest that it needed. Eventually, the rain finally stopped as the storm passed on, almost as if it had noticed that the battle had ended. However, despite the water no longer falling from the sky, Itachi still felt it trickling down his cheeks. He raised his hand to wipe it away, and only then realized that it wasn't rain, but his tears. It was the first time he had shed tears since he murdered his family and left the village. He supposed that watching your best friend get killed would do that to a person and noted that Shisui's body was now out of sight, likely all the way at the bottom of the lake. They had failed in their attack, an attack that Itachi had proposed in the first place. Shisui had died for nothing.

He then stopped the flow of chakra along his back, which allowed him to slowly sink into the water. His body had been given enough rest for him to be able to swim, and eventually, he found Shisui's corpse, resting along the rocky lakebed. With tremendous effort, he managed to drag his old friend back to the surface and out of the water. He took a few moments to rest after the strenuous task, laying next to the body on the lakeside while he regained his breath. Eventually, he stood, and looked down at his best friend with his normally expressionless face. He then weaved through a multitude of hand seals, before spewing a torrent of fire from his mouth, fully engulfing Shisui's body in the process. Everyone deserved a proper burial, but the last thing the world needed was Shisui Uchiha's corpse getting into the hands of someone like Orochimaru.

"...I'm sorry..." was all he could say as he watched the body burn.

 **~End~**


End file.
